Enter Naruto Naru Uzumaki: Time Traveler!
by Chryselephantine38
Summary: Fem!Naru. Time Travel. Naru has hit a slump - She's finally Hokage but finds she's not entirely happy with the way things turned out. There's an obvious distance between her and the villagers, her love is hopeless and her home is empty. Kurama might just have a jutsu that can solve all her problems. Past Fem!NaruSasu. Eventual Fem!NaruKakashi.
1. Time Travel?

**_Featuring:_** Fem!Naru, Time Travel AU, Super!Naru, Fem!Naru/Kakashi (eventually), Probably Plot Holes ;D _  
_

 _Okay! Some notes (in this fic):_

 _Both Rin and Obito are 13 at the start but Kakashi is only 9 – That's because Kakashi graduated from the Academy at 5 while the other two graduated at 9, so there's a 4 year difference between them but they were all on the same team._

 _Although I made Naru an adult, I'm not exactly giving her the personality she has in Naruto Gaiden because 1.) I prefer her personality from Naruto and Shippuden but I will calm her down to suit her age (i.e. won't have crazy angry outbursts over minor things) and 2.) I've seen hardly any of Naruto's new personality, I'd describe him as being a 'cool customer', as Shikamaru puts it (This will reflect when fighting though). Also, not sure when Naruto ascended as Hokage but he looks about 32 - 34 in the Gaiden - Since femNaru doesn't have children, I made her 25 and Hokage since I imagine that caused a bit of a hiccup in Naruto's succession plans._

 _So it doesn't feel like Minato and Kushina were horny teenagers, I made it so that they were 35 years old when Naruto was originally born and so I could say they had Naru at the reasonable age of 20 (I don't believe they look old enough to be 35 in Naruto but roll wid it, mateys. 20 is reasonable for shinobi since they tend to lead such short lives)._

 _Speaking of age changes: To further incorporate the changes I made to Kushina and Minato's ages into the story coherently, I've added 10 years onto Jiraiya and Tsunade's ages, which means that instead of being 53 (in Naruto: Shippuden), they are 63 – Which means at the beginning of my fic, they would be 73. I've done this because Jiraiya was Minato's sensei but because I added about 11 years to Minato's age, that would mean I had to either: a.) Increase Jiraiya's age or b.) Give Minato a sensei that was only 3 years older than him, which didn't make much sense especially since Jiraiya looks quite old when he is Minato's sensei._

 _A lot of the inspiration for how this works is from the tsukuyomi used in Road to Ninja.  
_

 _Minato is very much a doting, overprotective Father because I just love when he is depicted like that! It's so cute :') and its funny because of what we see in The Lost Tower, he is very calm and collected, even being able to erase his memory of meeting his son for the good of temporal space and all that jazz. Kushina will definitely have the disciplinary role._

 _There may be lemons – Not sure yet. If there are, I'll warn you beforehand and/or change the rating to M._

 _Naru's goal will STILL be to become Hokage so worry not! I have not changed her that much. It will be a long and treacherous journey but I think we can do it together (awh ^/ / /^).  
_

 _Kurama's personality is probably off from the real thing but I couldn't capture him really well. I wanted to give him sort of a tsundere personality ("I-it's not like I l-like being sealed inside you or anything, b-baka!" / / /) but also hesitantly nurturing? I found this more suitable for FemNaru because she isn't as rough and tumble as the real Naruto because she's still a girl. I also wanted him to kinda be the wisdom/voice of reason for her at times and a way to kinda reflect how she is feeling, if that makes sense.  
_

 _One last thing, I am aware that the First Hokage's Necklace broke in Shippuden BUT because I need to somehow create the bond between Tsunade and Naru in this time, its not. Love you :3_

 _Anyway, this shit turned out to be the length of a short one shot :| I hope you read all that but if you didn't, whatever – It's there in case you feel the need to question my decisions ;P If you have any questions, you can review and I'll answer you, I guess. Please, enjoy reading :3_

* * *

Naru sat at her desk, looking positively horrified. Rightly so, as there were two piles of paper on each side of the Hokage's desk – It was sturdy, anyone could see that, but Naru still feared that the sheer weight of the paperwork would split the desk cleanly, right down the middle. "Shikamaru, what is this?" The woman in question uttered slowly, looking with slight caution at her advisor.

" _Hokage-sama,_ " Shikamaru spoke, pointedly. It had become a habit of his, one that she found incredibly annoying, to alternate between calling her Naru and Hokage-sama, the latter only coming out when he felt he needed to remind her of her status, which he didn't. At all. "These are all the reports for the past three weeks of missions, as well as letters from the other villages which you need to reply to for the sake of diplomacy. Taking into account your personality, I separated your paperwork into what needs to be done by the end of today and what you can put off until tomorrow." He spoke, professional as always but with a hint of snark, as was his style.

Not missing the tone in Shikamaru's voice, Naru's cerulean eyes narrowed considerably: "What do you mean, considering my personality?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow. Leaning back in her chair, arms crossed. If she was Baa-chan, Shikamaru probably would've already been hit by a chair for insinuating she had personality problems - Because, god forbid, the woman with the monster strength and a quick temper like a land mine had any flaws at all.

"I, more than anyone, know that you'll do anything you can to have less paperwork and that you love putting it off. We might be older now but you can't fool me, I know you're still the same old Naru you've always been." Other villagers, those who generally didn't speak to Naru, would probably see Shikamaru as being insolent with his casual and disengaging manner of speech but Naru was thankful for this sort of thing in the office – It felt as though people often tip-toed around her, saying what she wanted to hear with only a few exceptions.

 _He knows me well._ She thought, whole-heartedly bitter for a moment. Naru straightened herself, "Alright, I'll get right on this paperwork once I have some-"

"No ramen," Shikamaru cut her off.

Feeling as if she was about to cry, Naru huffed slightly and slumped over her desk: "Shikamaru, you're too cruel. Aren't we friends?"

With a barely-there smirk, Shikamaru turned away and began walking as he spoke: "I'm just your advisor, _Hokage-sama_. Don't be such a drag." With that, he left her office, closing the large doors – The guards that stood on either side were more often than not vigilant in their duties, even channeling chakra over the cracks of the door like a barricade after each visitor. They silently cringed at the pathetic and defeated look of their Hokage but ignored her pleading looks she sent their way in an attempt to get them to deliver ramen to her. Whenever she attempted to use a shadow clone, _someone_ would make them go 'poof!' and she'd be returned the memories of a clone cut down in its youth without ramen in sight. Mind you, true ramen wasn't even a thing anymore in Konoha since Ichiraku became... _a dipping noodle shop._ Ugh! It made her cringe just thinking about! _Curse Ayame and her stupid inter-nation business courses. How can anyone prefer dipping noodles over ramen, 'ttebayo?!_ She thought with a passing grit of her teeth.

Thinking of the ramen and how she could most likely get some once she was finished with work, she was once again motivated. "Yosh! Lets get this done, dattebayo!" She said with spirit, rolling up her, characteristically, orange sleeves. The guards had long since become used to her verbal tick, something that Kakashi claims to have been inherited from Naru's mother, although she would often try to hide it when conversing when it was to do with her job as Hokage – The elders deemed it unprofessional. Her sheer determination pushed her wrist to move a little faster than normal and anyone could see her love of ramen burned as brightly as her will of fire ever has. Two hours became four then six and she was finally done, falling back onto her seat with a long, drawn-out sigh - Oh, how she wished she could use shadow clones but more than anything else, receiving the memory of god-forsaken paperwork four times in all directions made her head throb and recede into safer territory (a.k.a leave her on autopilot - bad idea). She had a small, triumphant smile on her face as she looked upon the unbalanced amount of undone paperwork on her desk – It felt like she had won the battle but, she begrudgingly thought as she looked at her 'procrastinator-friendly' pile, she still had not won the war.

By the time she was off the clock, it was already dark outside – From what she could see, the night was dimming but most stores were still alive and kicking, so Naru assumed it was between 6 and 7, perfect timing for dinner.

Like every night, she noticed that children stared in awe, while their parents scolded them for being 'rude' and those she walked past took a few, tentative steps to the side, as if she would kill them if even a single strand of hair stood in her path. It was times like these, when there felt like there was a particular distance between herself and her people, that she wished she was allowed to leave the Hokage jacket, that boldly stated 'Nanadaime' to all those who looked, in the office - Though everyone knew who the Hokage was; thinking they would find her more approachable without the long jacket was just wishful thinking on her part. For Naru, the jacket was a sign of accomplishment, pride and the pattern, like flames alight, that licked the edges of the white article reminded her of her own, undying will of fire. But for the citizens, it was a sign of the revered, unreachable Hokage – like a barrier, it stood at her back and cloaked her humanity. Though she knew the villagers meant no harm, the lonely reception made her steps a bit heavier and a bit faster as she thought about her motivations to become Hokage, as she briskly made her way to Ichiraku – There, she knew, Teuchi and Ayame would treat her the same as they had always done. Hokage or not, they still saw that little girl who loved ramen more than anyone. Sure, Naru wanted to become Hokage since she was just a little runt of a girl and the villagers did acknowledge her, as was intended - Actually, she was acknowledged far and wide as the most powerful Hokage who ever lived. Sure, that was great and all but what's the point if the villagers are too busy acknowledging you as some God instead of as their village leader?

"Yo." She looked up from the ground, and her thoughts, to find Kakashi giving her a lazy, two-fingered wave and an eye smile, using only one eye, of course. Naru briefly wondered why he continued to cover his other eye but quickly dismissed the thought for the moment.

"Kakashi-sensei!" She returned enthusiastically. "Funny running into you here, huh?" She continued, scratching the back of her head with an easy smile.

"Well, if you mean it's strange for us to run into each other, then I'd say it's not. Firstly, this is the main street and secondly, I can always find you outside of Ichiraku, Naruto." Kakashi returned with only a hint of his usual patronizing tone. He briefly noted how Naruto, the Hokage, still called him sensei but decided he'd commented on it enough in this lifetime.

"Don't call me Naruto, 'ttebayo!" she said with conviction: "Call me Naru. Naru! Okay?" she insisted to him, as she ushered him into the ramen shop. Naru very much thought that Naruto sounded like a guy's name and while she wasn't particularly concerned with gender roles or the like, she was still a woman.

"I guess we're eating together, then." Kakashi said flatly, as the two occupied a booth at the back. It wasn't surprising to him to find that all eyes were on them, though the owners of those eyes kept a fair distance. Both the Rokudaime and the Nanadaime sitting in the same booth, enjoying ramen and some light company, now that was a sight.

They both ordered for themselves – Naru got her usual miso ramen (well, dipping noodles with some modifications) and Kakashi, being the deceptively-uniform guy he was, opted for simple salt broth with his dipping noodles, nothing too fancy – He did, however, prompt Teuchi to add a few slices of eggplant to the dish. Naru enjoyed some back and forth, as per usual, with Teuchi who still called her a brat, despite her status – It was shocking and perhaps a bit unnerving to see the many lines of age marring that hospitable smile Teuchi had always worn. Everything seemed to be moving and growing older, as was time's design. Ayame still helped her Father run the store, confiding in Naru that she wished he would retire and take care of himself better but the old man was strong like an ox and stubborn like a mule. Ayame herself was now in her late 30s and had long since married a humble farmer who lived in the outskirts of the village, no children as of yet.

Naru looked intently at her former teacher, waiting for him to take off his mask and eat, all but ogling him. She pouted and her face became red from the breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she anticipated the momentous occasion.

"Is there something on my face?" Kakashi finally spoke, a small sweat drop falling over his temple. He peered directly at Naru as she was making a rather interesting face, a mix of impatience and childlike curiosity.

"Your face is the problem," She said bluntly, not thinking of her words very clearly.

"Some might think of that as rude, you know," Kakashi retorted, looking deadpan.

"Ah, I didn't mean that... your face isn't so bad," Naru looked nervous, "I mean, wait, no, that wasn't what I was supposed to say. How should I put this…?"

"You want to see my face?" Kakashi finally spoke, feeling bad for his fumbling student. Ever since she was younger, Naru had trouble actually voicing her thoughts under pressure or rather, not being able to find the words. In most situations, however, Kakashi would find that she found her words much too easily and perhaps, they would be better left lost.

"Exactly. Exactly!" She exclaimed, looking happy – One could imagine a tail, or nine, wagging behind her in excitement.

"Ah, Naru," Kakashi began, following the Hokage's wishes as was a Konoha citizen's duty, "Your ramen is getting cold, is that okay?" he pointed out, casually. No one could see, unless they looked extra closely, but his mouth turned up into a scheming smirk - She wasn't going to see what's under his mask if he could help it. _Maybe in another life, Naruto._ He thought cunningly.

"Ugh, not my ramen, dattebayo!" She said, as she put her hands together in a hasty 'itadakimasu!' and dug in – Kakashi passively acknowledged the verbal tick with a small smile. Forgetting her original agenda, she devoured bowl after bowl, enjoying the lovely pay rise that came with being Hokage. By the time she was finished, she looked up to find Kakashi's bowl empty and his mask intact.

"That's a really interesting face you're making," Kakashi said in wonder. His dark eyes, calm and composed as always, watched her face meld into disappointment and fury, like her world had come crashing down.

"Damnit!" She roared, as she took her wallet out and paid for her hefty meal before turning to Kakashi with scorn: "I'm not paying for you, Kakashi-sensei,"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Hokage-sama," Kakashi returned, teasingly. Even if there were a few more lines on his face than the old days, Naru still saw that infuriating but mostly familiar, and therefore nice, personality that has always been there.

Kakashi breezily pulled out his wallet and paid the much smaller sum for his one bowl of ramen – He felt a hand on his arm as he began to retreat from the booth, evidently ready to return home. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, you're not going home, are you?" The blonde girl said, showing a lonely look. She had assumed that they would talk for a bit after eating, since Kakashi was such a quick eater.

"Don't you need to get to sleep early? You're the Hokage, after all." He pointed out. Naru huffed; he was still treating her like a kid. Nevertheless, Kakashi took his seat across from her in the booth once more, earning more than a few confused glances from the other patrons.

"I'm 25, you know? I don't have a bed time, Kakashi-sensei!" She bellowed loudly, almost proud as she said this. Her long fingernails clicked against the table in a subtle rhythm as she waited for her teacher to get comfortable again.

"Maa, you're really that old already?" Kakashi said with his eye turning in an easy curve, his rough fingertips scratching the nape of his neck.

"Don't tell me you forgot, Kakashi-sensei! That's too much," she returned indignantly. Naru found herself reminded of the years that passed, tracing the few lines that had appeared on Kakashi's face with her eyes – She found that he aged quite well. He was 38, yet he still looked like he could pass for 30, easily.

"Ah well, whatever," He dismissed easily, earning a short-lived glare from Naru. He chucked in amusement, which made his shoulders quake, only slightly.

"Whatever, my ass!" She returned, before settling down more. She found herself drawn to her former sensei's forehead protector. She tilted her head curiously and decided to ask: "Hey, sensei, why do you still wear your hitai-ate like that? I restored your eye, right?"

"Maa, it just feels a bit strange without it," Kakashi admonished, though his eye's smile looked slightly shaky compared to before. When he opened his exposed eye, Naru looked deeply into it; searching. "Why are you looking so intently?" He continued, not unnerved but merely observing.

A light blush dusted her cheeks as she was caught, "No reason… Well…" She paused, looking unsure. She began twiddling her fingers in a very Hinata fashion. Visibly steeling herself, she took a deep breath and looked at her teacher solemnly.

"Naruto, you're creeping me out, you know," Kakashi sweat dropped, watching his former student wearily. What was she doing, anyway?

Ignoring the fact that he had called her Naruto, again, Naru looked at him with sad eyes: "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, are you okay?" Naru couldn't help but see the fact that Kakashi continued to cover his eye as some kind of homage to the late Obito, his best friend – Naru thought about Kakashi's feelings quite often after that day, it was painful to think that the man had lost his best friend not once but twice, living with that regret all this time. Naru acknowledged that her former sensei was much stronger than anyone else she had met and greatly respected him for that strength.

Kakashi inwardly cursed; he knew, more than most, how aware Naru was of others feelings – He dared to think that, perhaps, she was even more aware of the feelings of others than her own. He didn't need to question her about what she meant, she knew the pain he felt deep down: "Yes, Naruto. Why wouldn't I be?" He bluffed regardless, uncomfortable with the feeling of being vulnerable to anyone.

Naru looked ready to pry but decided against it, knowing Kakashi's personality well enough by now – They had been close, dare she say, friends for roughly twelve years now, after all. She nodded at him, understanding. "Anyway, how's life?" She changed the subject, offering a large grin, long canines and all.

"Relaxing," Kakashi offered coolly, running a hand through his spiky hair. Naru almost laughed, imagining Gai-sensei exclaiming 'I can't stand the way you act so cooooooool!' – She earned a questioning look from Kakashi but brushed it off. "How about you, Hokage-sama?"

"Ah well, you would know," She joked, giving him a small grin. They both laughed; Naru let out a childish laugh, mouth wide open and Kakashi gave a small chuckle in return. "I would kill to be retired right now, sensei! You know, Shikamaru didn't even let me get ramen – Can you believe him? I can't stand that guy sometimes. Always going on about troublesome this and troublesome that." She fumed, looking rather peeved as she rested the side of her face on her hand, propped up by the elbow.

"Wasn't it your dream to become Hokage, Naruto?" Kakashi drawled, voice falling smoothly between them as Naru noticed the navy material of his mask mold around a nonchalant smirk.

"Naru," She reminded quickly before sighing and turning into a puddle on the table: "I don't really mean it, sensei – I just didn't know there would be so much paperwork. Why didn't you warn me?" She sulked, deep blue eyes looking defeated.

"Some things we must all experience for ourselves, _Naru_ ," He teased, looking smug – Naru noticed the small emphasis he put on her preferred nickname and huffed, feeling childish again. She questioned how he managed to make her feel like that 13 year old genin all over again after all this time.

The two settled into easy conversation, harmless banter mostly. Kakashi would occasionally tease and it would get the desired rile out of Naru, as expected. Naru mostly complained about her work, Kakashi quietly listened and hummed in agreement at some points, especially concerning how obstinate the elders could be, at times – And by at times, they meant ALL the time.

Sometimes, Naru appreciated Kakashi's listen and observe personality – She understood that the two were quite literally opposites – Realistically speaking, they clashed in the worst of ways but they found a way around it. But those observations also allowed him to notice things she didn't want noticed: "Maa, do you still keep in contact with Sasuke and Sakura?" He asked, the implications clear in his voice. Naru hated that he noticed things like the fact that she had, more or less, begun to avoid her former teammates.

It's not as if she wanted to avoid them. Well, Sasuke was easy enough to avoid, Sakura wasn't; up until recently, every time Naru visited the hospital, Sakura had been there with a smile so radiant and warm; a certain raven-haired duck butt was obviously the reason - It pained her to be so immature, like a spoiled child. When she didn't get what she wanted, she just sulked, that's how it felt. But... Seeing Sakura, and her tell-tale stomach, made her heart beat erratically and something that _almost_ felt like physical pain shot through her. It didn't take a genius to know that familiar pang; it was sadness. But more than that, it was jealousy. She wasn't jealous that Sakura had a child and a husband, she was jealous that Sakura had _his_ child and that _he_ was her husband. Then again, judging by the fact that he barely showed his face in Konoha anymore, Naru sometimes felt like she dodged a bullet.

She closed her eyes and smiled in the way so reminiscent of her time as a genin, exactly like the time she promised to bring Sasuke back to Sakura _for her -_ It felt so odd to have a smile be so _forced_. "Ah well, I still talk to Sakura-chan at times. You know, she's expecting her baby soon – I'm excited to see how the kid turns out, you know? I hope Sakura-chan's temper isn't hereditary." Naru offered in response, with a strained laugh at the end. She conveniently avoided the subject of Sasuke.

Kakashi wasn't planning to go along with her avoidance this time, it seemed, as he continued: "And Sasuke?" The retired Hokage pressed. If he was being honest, he'd tell Naru that Sakura had come to him, worried, as it seemed Naru had begun avoiding her since she had discovered her pregnancy. As Naru's former teacher, he knew how to read her well and knew what the problem was; he just wanted to confirm. Kakashi knew, all too well, how important Naru's bonds were to her and she wouldn't so easily break or neglect them.

Shifting uncomfortably, that same smile still plastered on her face: "Well, you know Sasuke, a man of few words to the very core. I talk to him sometimes – Not much of a chance since he hardly ever comes into Konoha anymore but I'm the Hokage, so he has to report to me. It's a shame he doesn't come back to see Sakura-chan more often, huh? If it were me…" She trailed off, looking hapless for only a moment before composing herself. "If it were me, you know I wouldn't stand for that kind of thing, 'ttebayo!" She said, grinning, almost convincingly.

Kakashi opened his mouth then closed it and opened it again, feeling foolish and much akin to a goldfish. His suspicions had been correct. He looked at Naru, trying to piece together a sentence to comfort her; maybe he even wanted to tell her, 'stop faking that smile' or 'don't try to be so strong on your own all the time' but how could he say that? He was as lone wolf as it got. In retrospect, Kakashi found that he was sorely inexperienced when it came to matters of the heart but also found the absence of a genuine smile on Naru quite unnerving – It was a sight he had scarcely seen during their 12 years of correspondence.

Kakashi all but sighed in relief as Teuchi came over to the table, "Sorry, kid – We gotta close up now, so you better be on your way, alright? I bet I'll be seein' ya tomorrow," The friendly old man said, patting Naru on the back. He returned to clean the counter, thinking how amiss the solemn atmosphere was around the cheerful and somewhat brash girl he'd known for almost her whole life. A quick scan around the room showed that they were the last patrons left in the reconstructed Ichiraku.

Naru, too, was relieved to avoid speaking any more about the two subjects in question. She had tried her hardest but she definitely can't fool the perceptive Rokudaime. "I guess this is goodbye for tonight, Kakashi-sensei." She said, affably - Kakashi briefly noted the shift in personality as if he was talking to someone different entirely. After receiving a similar sentiment from Kakashi, Naru walked briskly down the road to her home. She felt overcome by a feeling of guilt for leaving the man on such a depressing note, so she turned around and gave her best teeth-bearing smile: "Kakashi-sensei, don't get mugged on your way home, dattebayo!" She said with gusto.

Kakashi turned around with a small smile and found that her smile looked much more real than before and gave her one of his lazy waves before settling his hands in his pockets. The two walked in separate directions, mulling over their conversation. Kakashi found, though he often didn't enjoy socializing as much as other people did, that he didn't mind these kinds of conversations even if they steered into sensitive territory at times and he wouldn't mind sitting with Naru again sometime soon. He gave a passing thought to how well she recovered and wondered where she locked away all her pain. Not that he didn't have his fair share of pain.

Like most nights before, Naru found herself simply falling into her single bed with her otter hat on her head – When her apartment building had been destroyed, she'd been offered, with insistence, a large suite in one of the new, flashy buildings but turned them down. She instead opted to return to something similar to what she had before, a simple one bedroom apartment – Sure, she hadn't had the best of feelings in her old home but the nostalgia was there, plus she would stay with what she was accustomed to, if she could just find something that was stable and wouldn't change then she could be content for a while.

 **What are you doing? Feeling sorry for yourself?**

Naru immediately registered the voice as belonging to her very own tenant, Kurama. The two had built what one could probably call friendship during the war and now she could converse with him naturally, as if they'd been friends all her life. "Shut up, I'm not," She defended. It was hard to admit but Kurama probably understood her most of all – It helped that he lived inside her mind.

 **Ah, so it isn't that you're thinking about that Uchiha brat and regretting your decision?**

Naru frowned. When she was home, she didn't have to smile for others. She didn't have to hide her pain, so she didn't. At home, everything was quiet, everything was still. Nothing moved unless it was moved by her, the light didn't turn on until she flipped the switch herself. No one waited for her. "What do you know?"

 **Well, I know that you continued to soil yourself until you were eight. I know that you once ripped your skirt during practical training and wore pants from then on. I know that you secretly found Hatake to be quite pleasant to loo-**

Naru's face went deep red as she let out a frustrated yell, pulling on her golden tresses from the roots, "Okay, okay, I get it! Stooooop!" She roared, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

 **Well? Do you regret it, brat?**

"Of course I do," Naru uttered honestly, after a long silence. Her deep, blue eyes looked sadly up at the ceiling, as she laid eagle spread at an angle, not bothering to slip under the covers. Kurama laughed, deep and, though she was most likely reading it wrong, benevolent – It radiated inside her like long-forgotten warmth.

 **Then why did you not accept him as your mate? Humans are truly frustrating.**

"You don't understand," She replied, slightly bitter but used to his personality – Brash, unreasonable, insensitive and perhaps a bit of a tsundere deep down. "How could I do that to Sakura-chan? She deserved Sasuke more than me. She always loved him."

 **You're weak, brat. When taking a mate, you must be merciless - It is about possession. Trying to understand brats like you would lower me.  
**

"You're already living inside one of those brats, can you get lower?" She said, teasing him. She let out a slight laugh as she finally made her way under the blankets, staring blankly into the dark. However, behind all that, she knew he was right.

It was a well-kept secret; the time that Naru and Sasuke had spent together, not as rivals nor as friends but as something more. They had both felt that similar twinge of loneliness at every juncture, they had looked at each other with care and their bond was so simple – all the protectiveness of a family and the intimacy of lovers - well, as intimate as they could at their age without crossing any major lines. They were still young, Sasuke hadn't left Konoha – They were just genin; barely 13 years old. Still, Naru felt the pleasures and pangs of first love so deeply that they gripped her entire being and refused to let go. Even after many years, and his betrayal, Naru still loved him and pursued him without ever taking a break; everything she did was to save him from the darkness and to return him to Konoha. She didn't know what she wanted from him when that time came, but she still went after him regardless. After they had fought, and lost an arm each, Sasuke had even attempted to rekindle that barely-there flame still alight between them but she'd rejected him flatly, treating it like a joke. She was sure his pride had been hurt by that but when he'd told her that, Sakura's crying face flashed into Naru's mind and she just couldn't accept his feelings, no matter how sincere they were or how much she had secretly wanted to hear them from him. She hadn't expected the pain to be so sharp or relentless. It was her punishment for having fallen for Sasuke in the first place, for betraying Sakura, her comrade and her constant support.

Naru's had other relations with men since then, of course. Nothing serious, merely casual flings. They'd go out to dinner, catch a show and sleep together, maybe more than once if she felt like it - It was hard to find men who were willing to see past her role as Hokage; they were often intimidated by the legends told about her but she managed somehow. She realized that this loneliness she felt probably could've been amended if she had simply searched for something more serious; while all her friends were getting married and, subsequently impregnated, Naru was having one night stands. She knew it probably had something to do with Sasuke - No one even suspected that she might have feelings for the Uchiha, they all saw a devoted friend. She would go just as far for any of her friends but Sasuke was special; Naru loved Sasuke. Secretly, she held out hope that he'd see through her lies and force her to confront those feelings but he had simply glared at her and distanced himself for months; their relationship was nothing but superior and underling for what felt like the longest time. Then Sasuke had married Sakura and all Naru could do was give them a bright smile and say "Congratulations!" and forget about it. Naru, being the positive person she was, could easily forget the pain if she wasn't reminded - She felt bad each night but she didn't go out of her way to meet her former comrades either. If they needed her, she'd still be there for them but... She couldn't be the bigger person this time. After they got married, that was when Naru had been the most promiscuous in her short life - It wasn't anyone's business but hers; she practiced it safely and trusted her partners to keep it to themselves or she'd simply used a henge - Bedding the Seventh Hokage seemed to be a point of pride for some of them and sometimes it was too much. All she wanted was to erase the taste of the first time her lips met with _his_ , with anyone's - It was all too innocent and chaste and she's yet to find anything like it. She wondered if it was just childhood naivety and nostalgia mixed into an emotionally-deadly cocktail.

With a small pause and a slight hint of bashfulness, Kurama finally replied: **Hmph. It is not as if I particularly like it here, it is merely familiar.**

Naru laughed; she knew that it was just his way of saying that he liked it there – Sometimes he was just too proud for his own good but she couldn't deny that he was a being of immense power. The two had, somehow or another, fallen into sync over the years following the end of the war but Naru knew that Kurama wasn't particularly pleased with the idle and repetitive work that came with being the Hokage – He didn't care about missions, or diplomacy, or land disputes, or anything like that. She knew the excitement he drew from battle could be rivaled by no other – She almost felt bad for him, he was free to come and go as he pleased but he was unexpectedly considerate of her feelings, choosing to keep her company when no one else was around.

 **Well, what was it that you are so hurt over? Is it the loss of your friends, the Uchiha brat, or the duties of a Hokage?**

Naru let out a deep sigh, knowing she could keep nothing from him. She gave in: "All of the above." She said, sounding uncharacteristically docile. "I wonder what my dead friends would do if they were here right now, if I would feel this lonely, this incomplete. I wonder what it feels like to have someone waiting at home for me, the lights already on, the bed already warm. I wonder if being Hokage was truly all I wanted all along. I know that I want to be Hokage, I'll never not want to be Hokage, but lately, I've wondered if that was all there was to my dream. If maybe, along the way, I had become truly greedy and wished to have everything." She let her thoughts fall out of her lips like a ceaseless waterfall, as she let her pillow mold the shape of the back of her head into its soft material.

Kurama snorted but nevertheless, allowed rare tenderness to penetrate through his voice **Come into your mindscape, kit.**

Naru obeyed willingly, tired of the lonely space in her small room - She'd found that when she was feeling particularly down, Kurama would drop the 'brat' and call her 'kit'; it reminded her much of a stern Father - He'd kill her if she let him see that thought. The cold, metallic prison that had once occupied her mindscape was now replaced by a deep, lush forest of varying hues and her resident Kyuubi sat unflinching in his gigantic cave, large enough for him to comfortably walk around in as he pleased – From the cave, there were smooth pathways going in all directions, which served as walkways for Naru and Kurama's chakra.

Kurama had been sleeping, or relaxing with his eyes closed, when she had beamed into existence at the entrance of his cave. He opened one, red eye to peer at her. "Come here." He commanded, though the gentleness was clear in his gruff voice. Naru followed his instruction and ran to him, jumping into his abundant fur as if he was a fluffy mattress and sighing. "Please, make yourself comfortable." Kurama said sarcastically, peering down at her as she snuggled into his fur.

Naru laughed happily: "Don't mind if I do!" She said, as she began making fur angels on Kurama's forearm. Naru enjoyed the time she spent in her mindscape – It was literally an escape from reality. Kurama was, at times, rude and didn't understand her feelings well but she could see past that. She found that more often than not, there was always a hidden layer behind what was shown to others.

"Stop thinking that I have hidden layers." He grumbled, closing his eyes and moving his arm closer, allowing Naru to rest in a crease between his forearm and his chin.

"Ah, you knew?" She said sheepishly, making herself comfortable in the warm fur.

"I know everything." The fox pointed out pompously.

"I'm sure you do," Naru returned dispassionately. It was awhile before she said something else, "Maybe I should go see Sakura-chan tomorrow,"

"She's the enemy, kit. Your benign nature will be the end of you,"

"She's not the enemy, idiot." Naruto gave a shaky sigh: "She's one of my best friends, that's why I can't ignore her anymore,"

Reeling at being called an idiot, Kurama let out a guttural growl as an intimidation tactic but as usual, it had no effect.

"She's having a baby, I gotta be there for her,"

"Her offspring isn't your concern. If you do not plan to steal away the Uchiha brat, you should be searching for a mate of your own and reproducing before it is too late,"

"What do you mean, too late?" She asked, poking him in the cheek, "I'm still young, dattebayo!" She said with conviction.

"Don't yell near my ear, brat," Kurama grumbled, the aforementioned ear flopping away from her in silent disapproval.

She settled back down and looked out into the trees absently, "I wonder what the kid will look like,"

"Hopefully the child is fortunate enough to avoid the pink hair gene,"

"Hey! Sakura-chan's hair is cute,"

"Forgive me for not agreeing but I will never find anything _cute_ ," He said with a hint of disgust, almost spitting the last word.

Naru let out a small laugh and rubbed his fur, "If you did, that would creep me out more than anything,"

"Even more than the leery way your _sensei_ looks at you?" He pointed out flatly, his tails absently flailing around, slapping each other.

"Stop making things up, you stupid ball of fluff," She said, slightly embarrassed.

"Kit, I have lived for many of your pitiful human life spans - I have far more experience than you do," He said without any sign of humor.

"Still, Kakashi-sensei isn't interested in me like that," Naru corrected resolutely, cuddling into the Kyuubi's fur more. If she were to tell her twelve year old, Academy Student self _,_ or anyone for that matter, that she was _cuddling_ into the Nine Tails... Well, lets just say, she'd be having a nice, long, constrictive stay in Konoha's very own psych ward.

Kurama hummed in mock thought - In reality, he didn't need to think; he knew how that fool Hatake's mind worked; the Fox was sure the Sixth Hokage didn't even register how he felt himself, "If you say so, kit,"

"I do say so," Naru returned. She wouldn't admit to anyone ever but she had briefly (read: a year) entertained a crush on the older man but she was 12 and he was 25 and that was just wrong no matter how you looked at it. If Naru had a daughter who was that age and she was romantically interested in a man 13 years her senior, well, she'd be worried, to say the least.

Kurama stretched his hind legs, careful not to disturb Naru's placement, "I'm sick of conversing with a brat like you. Go to sleep,"

Naru usually would've argued but she was actually tired. She was both physically and emotionally exhausted; she supposed she shouldn't sit up talking to Kurama like they were having a slumber party when she had to get up and be Hokage all over again tomorrow. She sighed and settled back into the warmth and comfort he offered her. She closed her eyes and immediately felt her mind becoming dull and senseless, the darkness behind her eyelids consuming her.

Kurama's voice, though still deep and grumbling, came out quieter to accommodate her, "You are dissatisfied with things as they are, are you not, kit?" He asked. She nodded. "Would you change things if you could?" Nod. "Should I allow you to?" Flimsy nod. "Very well. I'll give you a second chance; this time you will be wholly in control of your own destiny, kit. In truth, I tire of the view from your precious Hokage Tower - I want to feel a truly exciting battle once again," A toothy grin spread across his face as his eyes opened wide and he mumbled words under his breath. That familiar, red chakra sizzled in the air around them but Naru was now fast asleep, snoring and rolling around to no end, paying no heed to the actions the fox was taking.

That night, Naru's dreams were oddly pleasant and completely unfamiliar. A content smile curved her mouth as she slept, remembering things that she could never recall before, things she was sure never happened:

 _"She's beautiful, she has your eyes. And your hair. Hey, what exactly did she get from me, dattebane?!"_

 _"Honey, calm down… She sort of has your facial structure. Look her eyes are there."_

 _"That's where everyone's eyes are!"_

* * *

 _"Jiraiya-sensei, this is Naru-chan! Isn't she the cutest baby you've ever seen?"_

 _"Huh? I thought you had a boy since you named her Naruto. I was going to teach him all the wonders of the female body. Those soft, marvelous mounds—"_

 _"Stupid pervert, what are you saying infront of my baby, huh?!"_

 _"Ah… Kushina-chan, strong women are also beautiful in their own way,"_

 _"Shut up, pervert, 'ttebane!"_

* * *

 _"Pervy Sage!"_

 _"Hey kid, didn't I tell you not to call me that? This is research. Research!"_

 _"Those… those were Naru-chan's first words…?"_

 _"Ah, honey, calm down, it's okay – It's not the end of the world."_

 _"Shut the hell up! Look what that pervert did to my baby! Her first word was meant to be Mama!"_

 _"Ah dear, your hair… It's sticking up again."_

 _"Pervy Sage!"_

 _"I'm not Pervy Sage! Are you trying to get me killed, kid?!"_

 _"Mama!"_

 _"Naru-chaaaaaaan~ I'm so happy, dattebane!"_

* * *

 _"Daddy~!"_

 _"Ah, Naru-chan, mummy will be so angry that she missed your first steps but atleast daddy is here to see them. Come here, to me, to me."_

 _"No!"_

 _"Naru-chaaaan~ Come back! Daddy loves you!"_

 _"Stupid daddy!"_

 _"Whyyyyy?!"_

* * *

 _"Happy First Birthday, Naru-chan!"_

 _"Look at mummy, Naru-chan! Over here,"_

 _"No, look at daddy! Daddy got you a great present."_

 _"Gahh, Minato! Mummy got you an even better present, Naru-chan, so come to mummy, okay?"_

 _"Ah, Naru-chan, please don't cry! We'll come to you, okay? Daddy's coming to you right now."_

 _"Mummy will get there first, dattebane!"_

* * *

 _"I don't want to go on a mission! She's only a year old, don't make me leave!"_

 _"Just go, Naru-chan will be perfectly fine with her Mother! She doesn't need a man around all the time!"_

 _"Honey, how can you be so cold?"_

 _"Naru-chan, say bye-bye to daddy,"_

 _"Bye-bye daddy!"_

 _"Say you love daddy one more time before I go, Naru-chan~"_

 _"Seriously, you're such a baby, dattebane!"_

* * *

 _"Don't cry, Naru-chan. Daddy will come home from his mission tomorrow. The time will pass faster if you go to sleep, alright?"_

 _"Wahhh!"_

 _"Come on, Mummy will hold you until he comes home so don't cry."_

 _"Pwomise?"_

 _"Promise."_

 _"… Okay! G'night mummy."_

 _"Good night, Naru-chan."_

* * *

The scenes went much the same. They zoomed past as if in an instant but ingrained themselves somehow in the back of Naru's mind like true memories. She was in all of them – Ranging from a baby to almost breaching adolescence; she continued seeing pleasant flashes of a life she had always yearned for, especially in her childhood.

When Naru awoke, she was still inside her mindscape, allowing herself to relax and breath in sync with Kurama's low, grumbling exhales. "Good morning, Kurama." She said, scratching behind his ear affectionately – The scale of Kurama was so large that her entire hand was like a mere spot on his thick, dark orange coat.

"Hmph. Brat." He said, no hint of malice present. "Do you believe it's polite to put your hands on others when they are sleeping? Truly, you are a brat with no manners to speak of." He continued haughtily.

"Shut up, you over-sized fur ball," She said flatly, removing her hand. "I know you don't sleep, you just laze around in here all day." She pointed out.

"You talk as if there is more to do than that in this place, brat." One of Kurama's nine tails came up and flicked Naru lightly in the face.

"Oi, keep your tails to yourself, 'ttebayo!" She roared, jumping down from her place on the fox. She didn't feel cold from the loss of contact; she knew that her real body was cozily tucked into two blankets in her small apartment. Then Naru remembered her dream, which was odd: "Hey Kurama, I had these weird dreams about my parents last night."

"Brat, I don't need to know who is in your perverse dreams," Kurama said flatly, deadpan.

An irritation mark landed square on Naru's forehead and she pointed directly at him: "You know that's not what I mean! Don't be so disgusting! I'll destroy you, you flea-bitten ball of fluff, dattebayo!"

"Tsk. I'd like to see you try, brat," Kurama antagonized, looking sharply at Naru and letting out a deep, low chuckle – The breath he let out sent Naru's hair flying off into different directions.

"Oh yeah?! You better be ready then, you bastard, don't dare beg me to stop later on! I won't stop even if you cry, ya hear m—" Naru paused, remembering that she was adult, as well as the Hokage. She took a deep breath and centered herself. She cleared her throat before speaking again: "More importantly, as I was saying, I had these strange dreams with my parents in them. I still remember them clearly now. They feel like memories, like they've always been there."

Kurama blinked a few times at how quickly Naru's disposition had changed but decided to shrug it off, it wasn't worth his precious time (although he was immortal but that's beside the point). He followed Naru with his eyes before speaking, his deep voice filling the cavern: "That's because they _are_ memories."

"Whose?"

"Yours. They're your memories."

"But my parents died when I was born, remember?"

Kurama seemed to finally realize what this meant: He had asked Naru if she wanted to 'fix' things while she was half-asleep and she must not have registered what she agreed to. He sighed, realizing this was going to be troublesome. Suddenly, he understood Shikamaru on a whole new level. "The simplest way to explain this would be that I cast a jutsu and we've gone back in time. You are welcome."

"Time travel?"

"Yes, you brainless brat. I cast a jutsu that essentially caused us to time travel to the past. However, it is not exactly the same."

Naru was deeply perplexed but decided the conversation was more important: "What do you mean, 'not exactly the same'?"

"Well, the most notable change would be that your birth was pushed back 15 years. In the current timeline, you're also 11 years old."

"What the hell?! Why am I 11 and why 15 years?! What the hell are you even doing? Do you think these things through before you do them or is it just an impulse with you?"

Kurama glowered at her but Naru felt no fear – Their relationship was built on trust, they were both aware of that, and Kurama's side of the relationship was held up by the pillar of tolerance, which needed to be sturdy when one was dealing with Naru on a daily basis. "You seemed to feel quite sorry for Hatake after learning of his close friend's _fall_. I assumed you'd want to save the Uchiha for your precious sensei but perhaps, I was mistaken."

Naru looked at him for a while, awestruck: "Are you telling me that I'm around the same age as Kakashi-sensei right now?" She began piecing together.

"That would be correct. Since you are constantly thinking about how he makes you feel childish, I made it so you're actually two years older than him. It amuses me to see the tables turned, you see." He chucked darkly, earning a grin from Naru.

"Woah, Kurama, you're actually a pretty nice guy, huh?" Naru said in amazement, looking at him as if revering the Kyuubi – Frankly, it was creeping the bijuu out.

"Yes, yes, the nicest. Now move on already. I was nice enough to skip the formative years," _which is mostly for my sake because I do not want to deal with you when you're a sniveling infant again_. He added in his mind without letting on what he was thinking, "… You will also find that you won't have to tip toe around your parents, trying to avoid revealing your identity as a time traveler since, for all intents and purposes, you've been here this entire time. It is reminiscent of your time in the tsukuyomi where your parents were already very used to your presence. What I am saying is that you are their daughter, they are aware of this and you live together. I think you'll find the home to be quite warm."

"My parents… are alive?"

"Very much so."

"We live together…?"

"Yes, that's what I've been trying to say."

"But they know I'm Naruto, right? Not Menma?"

"Yes, Naruto Uzumaki is still your name."

"I see." Naru uttered slowly, allowing the information to sink in. Without further delay, she pounced onto Kurama's back and began mercilessly hugging him, rubbing her cheek against his uncharacteristically soft fur. "Thank you, thank you, and thank you!"

"Before you become too grateful, remember this: You are no longer Hokage. Your friends will not be born for another four years and due to your age difference, you will most likely not be able to interact with them as you once did, on equal terms. You may see familiar faces but they do not know you and they may be different from how you remember them."

Naru considered the implications for a long time – She would surely miss her friends but this didn't mean they wouldn't exist – She would just have to find another way to befriend them, that's all. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that she had become wiser as she grew, especially after taking her place as the Nanadaime Hokage. Regardless, Naru grinned wide. This was her chance to correct everything that went wrong. She can save Obito and prevent him from becoming Tobi, she can stop Rin from killing herself – She can finally help Kakashi-sensei the way she'd yearned to for so long. There was so much more, too. She could meet her parents, she could— _Wait_ , she thought, "If my friends are going to be born in 4 years then doesn't that mean that… I am going to be born, too? What will happen there?" Naru panicked, ruffling Kurama's fur.

"I was wondering when you would realize that detail. Don't worry about that. Originally, you were born when your parents were 35 but I managed to change this fact so that you, the real Naruto, were born when they were 20. I think your Mother will find she is quite infertile now, however."

Naru felt guilty: "She can't have other children?"

"Worry not, brat. She is lucky to even be able to raise one; she should not even be alive to have the opportunity to spawn more of you." Naru flinched at the comment on her Mother's demise but then a small smile graced her features, realizing that the Kyuubi was just trying to cheer her up.

"But how does this whole thing work? How can you manipulate when I was born?" She pointed out, suspicious.

"I suppose you can say that the jutsu I performed split us off into a parallel universe. If left unchanged, it would turn out exactly the same as your original one if you had not been involved but at the time of conception, I am able to manipulate your date of birth and so on. Honestly, changing anything is up to you from hereon. I've given you the means, now you have to use your knowledge from your past life, so to speak, to correct what you couldn't then. Anyway, time's up. Your ape of a Mother will be coming in here to wake you up soon. I suggest you do as she says."

On that same day, a 44-year old Tsunade found her Grandfather's necklace missing and Jiraiya found a new signature on his summoning contract with Mount Myboku, one 'Naruto Uzumaki' with a diminutive hand print made with blood directly underneath…

~Chapter End~


	2. Quality Time

_Hello and welcome to chapter two~_

 _Just a quick note (it will be quick this time, promise!): Because I played around with Minato and Kushina's ages (they were actually 24 when they had Naruto but I couldn't have time travel Naru being born to a 9 year old Mother and Father xD so yeh.) That means that I'm also changing the age when Minato becomes Hokage to 34, which is just prior to when we actually see him as the Fourth during the Kyuubi attack (if there was one) in my universe – Yes, I do plan to continue this fic into later years.)  
_

 _Also, in this universe, there has been NO Kyuubi attack and there will be none. This is because Obito did not become Tobi by the time (my) Naru was born and therefore, missed when the seal weakened, meaning the chance to free the Kyuubi from his jinchuuriki is gone._

 _This chapter is complete and utter Uzumaki-Namikaze family fluff because I just want it to be, shush! Honestly, I'm sort of disappointed at how Naru(to) ended up being so demure in this chapter – I like the boisterous personality but I just didn't know how to write it into this situation. I know that he becomes extremely comfortable with people right away but it felt… off?_

* * *

Naru retreated from her mindscape and lay in bed for a while, looking at the unfamiliar ceiling. Her ceiling was orange (bless it) but this one was a pale yellow – She noted that it was a rather boring color but it was probably more reasonable than orange. She wiggled her arms and legs from side to side, feeling how much her span had decreased. It felt strange, to say the least. She was sighing and thinking to herself how she was going to survive being 11 again when the door opened abruptly.

"Naru, it's time to wake up!" A woman with blazing red hair, who Naru immediately recognized as her Mother, stood in the now-open doorway, smiling widely. It reminded Naru a lot of her own grin.

Feeling oddly calm, Naru pushed herself into a seating position and flung her legs over the edge, expecting to feel the ground but instead feeling nothing but empty air. She forgot how small she was at this age, her clothes also felt like sheets on her. She cringed. For some reason, when she looked at her Mother, smiling warmly at her, she felt a sudden rush of emotion that hadn't been there a second ago, as if sitting up had put something into perspective for her.

"Good mor—Wait, Naru? Why are you crying? Hey, what's wrong?" Kushina asked, alarmed. She ran to her daughter's side, sitting down beside her with a light thud, and draped her arm around the girl's shoulder, pulling her closer.

"Ah, I…" Naru began, feeling confused. She looked at her tiny hands darkening with each salty droplet of her tears. That was weird, why is she crying? She didn't feel sad a moment ago. "I… don't know," she finally uttered. She didn't know why she was crying like a little kid, she was an adult already, even if she didn't look it. No matter how much she told herself that, the tears wouldn't stop.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Kushina asked, worried. Shifting, she now took Naru completely in her arms, their length easily encircling the eleven year old.

Naru felt slightly confused as she latched onto her Mother and buried her face in her shoulder, not sure why it felt so natural. It felt like, for some reason or other, her body automatically reciprocated the gesture, despite Naru having only met her Mother once before and getting quite a hard knock to the head for her 'attitude'. Naru shook her head; she had an incredibly pleasant dream.

"Hey, you two, breakfast will get cold if you don't hurry up," A cheerful Minato walked in with a smile and upon witnessing the display, he frowned: "Did no one see fit to invite me for a hug?" He said, mock angry.

Naru attempted to lift her head to look at where that familiar voice was coming from but her Mother's light touch pushed her head back to its spot. When Kushina looked at Minato, her anger was not mock in the least and she threw a nearby pillow with enough force to make the Yellow Flash actually fear the squishy object, sidestepping to avoid it: "Can't you see Naru's upset, dattebane?!" She roared. Naru briefly acknowledged the verbal tick with a small exhale through her nose.

Minato shrunk under his wife's angry gaze, cursing his timing before registering her words. He rushed over to the bed, looking panicked: "Naru, are you hurt? Let me see!" He spoke, frantically inspecting his young daughter for any visible injuries.

"'M fine," came Naru's muffled response. Her Mother was holding her with more force than intended, she surmised, and she lightly patted Kushina's arm, as if to tap out.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," The red-head said, realizing. She nervously scratched the back of her head and let out a light laugh after releasing Naru.

Naru's large, blue eyes looked from Minato to Kushina with an unreadable expression, tears still amassed at the corner of her eyes. These two people, her parents, were alive and well – She could feel the warmth rolling off their bodies, she could hear them breathing. They were right there. Less than an arm's length away, she could touch them. It wasn't just a dream she had on particularly lonely nights, they were actually there with her. Forgoing all the emotional control of an adult, she began crying again, wailing like she hadn't since she was a kid when the villagers had been particularly brutal towards her.

Minato and Kushina shared a deeply worried glance before moving to comfort their distraught daughter. Minato smoothed over her blonde locks, which were colored by him but textured by her mother, while Kushina grabbed a tissue to wipe her tears away. They both looked at her with overflowing love in their eyes as if she was their most important person.

Looking at them, Naru felt bad for crying – They looked really worried but at the same time, seeing them look at her like that made her cry even harder. She didn't know if she had ever been this happy in her life. At this age, she had been arguing with Sasuke and Sakura thought she was annoying; she was trying her hardest to graduate the Academy but she'd already failed three times and the villagers barely concealed their hatred for her but now she was being cared for like something precious and her tears actually meant something to them.

Kushina gently moved Naru's blonde bangs out of her eyes, "Are you hungry?" She asked, gently, cautious of her volume as if it would upset her daughter more if her voice was even the slightest octave too loud.

Naru's stomach grumbled loudly, as if just being reminded itself that it was, in fact, hungry – A light pink blush dusted her cheeks as she looked away, embarrassed – It was amusing to her, in some place at the back of her mind, since she actually never cared if people heard her stomach before then. She supposed it was just that she had just met her parents (in the flesh) for the first time in her life and their opinions meant a lot to her, who grew up as an orphan.

Minato and Kushina both laughed at her. "Let's eat! Breakfast is on the table," Naru's Father said, all but dragging her out into the living-cum-dining room. They all sat down at the mahogany dining table - Minato and Kushina sat across from each other while Naru took the seat next to Minato, awkwardly.

Naru quickly brushed her sleeve over her eyes to dry them off and gave a shaky smile. She liked to think that she blended in rather well and could handle interacting with new people due to her (former) position as Hokage but she just felt plain awkward right now. There was this odd comfort but somehow, it made her feel even more uneasy – She looked at both her parents; obviously, they didn't find this strange since Kurama said she had actually been there the whole time, so they were used to having a daughter – Naru was not used to having parents. Furthermore, when she looked at Minato, she felt like she was looking at herself if she was over 30 and male, it was ridiculous – She really couldn't appreciate their resemblance this much from just pictures, being up close was on a whole other level.

Minato noticed Naru simply looking at them and the food, "Aren't you eating? You're usually hungriest in the morning." He pointed out, giving her a closed-eye smile.

She looked startled for a second before nodding, slowly. She clapped her hands together and said a light 'itadakimasu' before grabbing her chopsticks and digging in – They had rice with poached egg; somehow they knew how she liked hers and she wondered how a simple egg could taste so good. Naru had heard her Mother was an extraordinary cook but this was incredible – Just an egg was enough to make her close her eyes and savor the taste – It still had nothing on ramen though.

Seeing her enjoying the food, Kushina swelled with pride – It seemed to her that Naru had become immune to her food's charm, which had been quite a shock to her but now her little girl was making a very satisfied expression as if it was the best breakfast she'd ever had. Both her and Minato began eating away, too, enjoying the warm family atmosphere. They both couldn't remember how long it'd been since Naru took her time eating instead of _inhaling_ the food and retreating back to her room.

Naru was pulled out of the blissful taste by a soft "Naru," coming from her left. She turned and looked at Minato with an inquisitive expression, willing him to go on as she chewed. She had just met her Father; she didn't want to make a bad first impression by spitting some egg and rice on his face.

"Ah, you're so cute," He gushed after looking at her with stars in his eyes for a few seconds, which felt like hours to Naru as she nervously sweat dropped, forgetting what he originally wanted to say.

"Didn't Naru tell you she hated it when you did that?" Kushina pointed out bluntly, still chewing her breakfast in the side of her mouth.

Naru looked from Kushina to Minato and found that, in fact, she did not hate it. She rather liked it, actually. No one had ever complimented her appearance at this age; not one person even noticed that she had the basic features belonging to a person, and not a monster, until she was 13 and none of the other kids knew of the nine-tailed fox. So when Minato looked sad, like a puppy with its ears padded down onto its head, and apologized, she quickly interjected with her signature tooth-bearing smile, "No, it's okay. Thank you!"

The food dropped out of Kushina's mouth as it fell agape, looking at Naru with wide eyes. Had _that_ Naru just approved of Minato's doting ways? "Naru, are you feeling alright? I know you said you were but…" the beautiful red-head trailed off.

"I'm totally a-okay, why wouldn't I be?" Naru replied, still beaming. Only half an hour had passed since she woke up but she felt oddly comfortable with these two, as if she'd known them her whole life. She felt her old personality coming back to her quite easily – Rightly so, she assumed, as she had never been shy before.

Kushina blinked twice at the happy response. Naru seemed strange today. She looked at Minato and he seemed equally as confused but he was also fighting back a pleased expression at her acceptance.

Naru felt both worried and mildly amused watching them stare at each other, unblinking, the only movement being a quirk or two of Kushina's eyebrow – She wondered if they could speak to each other telepathically. _Kurama. Hey, Kurama! Wake up, you lazy fox._ She thought to the kyuubi.

 **Shut it, brat. You are the only human I know with the audacity to speak to me like that.**

 _Thanks!_

 **It wasn't a compliment, fool. What do you want?**

 _Why are they staring at each other like that? Do they sense something's up?_

 **You are most likely different from the former Naruto that they are used to.**

 _Different? Wouldn't me be just like me?_

 **Did you honestly not think that their Naruto would be different to you? You were an orphaned jinchuuriki who everyone hated. This world's Naruto is the daughter of the Yellow Flash and sheltered by her parents.**

 _Ah._ Naru cursed herself, feeling stupid. What was it about this time that made her forget that she was an adult? This whole time was like one big Kakashi-sensei! She was 25, she **_was_** the Hokage, she could think for herself, too. She wasn't that stupid, reckless kid anymore. _What do you think their Naru was like?_

 **Judging from your parents' reactions, I would say she's the opposite of you. You even accepted a compliment that** ** _that crazy woman_** **mentioned you hated.**

Naru unconsciously nodded her head – Even if she loved her Mother, Kurama still held a deep grudge against her for how he was treated. He claimed that even Naru's dark prison was better than Kushina's mindscape.

 **Oi, they're talking to you, pay attention! I don't want anyone trying to extract me because their fool of a daughter kept spacing out, understand?**

 _Ah right, thanks Kurama._ She received a grumble in response and turned to her Father, who had been trying to garner her attention for some time now. "Sorry, sorry!" She said, scratching her cheek with an index finger nervously: "What were you saying?"

Minato's shrewd gaze rested on her for a while before he returned to his usual smile, "I've been wondering this for quite a while now, Naru…" He began, inspecting her, "… What's with those clothes? They're far too big for you." He said finally. Naru's parents had both been so distracted by her crying to notice that her blue, button up pajama top was far too long, falling down to her knees and the baggy pants were probably barely clinging onto her comparably thin waist.

Naru's eyes widened as she looked down, surprised at herself – Sure enough, she was wearing her pajamas from 'her world' and the clothes of a 25 year old woman did not fit an 11 year old girl very well at all. "Ah, well, you know…" She began, trying to find her words: "It's a fashion statement. A fashion statement!" She repeated, as if to drive the point home.

Minato's intelligent blue eyes scanned her nervous face, though the fact that he was scrutinizing her didn't reach his mouth as he kept his smile. Naru could feel how analytical those eyes were, as if they stared right through her – She understood why people detested being an enemy of the Yellow Flash – Quick in mind and body. He didn't seem to miss a thing, despite his frivolous attitude.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably less than 20 seconds, Kushina finally spoke: "Minato Namikaze, what did I tell you about scrutinizing your daughter, hmm?" She spoke, looking down on him like he was a child, in her best motherly tone.

Minato turned to her and smiled with closed eyes, "I wouldn't do that to my own daughter, dear." He said lightly, chuckling – Naru liked the sound of it, it was deep and calming; she could imagine the sound resonating from his chest.

Kushina's eyebrow quirked in provocation, "Oh? So you didn't stare at her for 20 minutes when she was 9 trying to prove she had been spending time with a boy?" She said, slight sass in her voice.

Naru's body blushed on its own but she, herself, didn't feel embarrassed in the least. What was so weird about spending time with boys? A majority of shinobi in Konoha were male, after all. Besides, she was actually 25, she'd gone further than simply spending time with men. However, this piece of information could remain her little secret.

Minato looked nervous before changing the subject: "Well, in any case, you should probably get changed into something that fits you better, Naru. Fashion statements are nice but clothes that fit are even better," He said brightly, ushering Naru into her room.

Naru sweat dropped – He was probably one of those embarrassing fathers she had heard such bad things about. She shrugged, a father was a father and there was absolutely no denying that Minato was her father – She also wasn't complaining about the attention. She went into the other Naru's closet and released a deep sigh of relief. The two Narus atleast had something in common; they both liked orange. It seemed, however, they had both learned to tone it down to a stripe here and there. The only thing that bothered her was that she only owned one pair of shorts, the rest were skirts and bike shorts for underneath. It was okay though, she was (mentally) an adult, and she could handle worse than this little hiccup.

Naru undressed herself from her large pajamas and stowed them away in the bottom drawer of a nearby dresser. She found herself drawn to the mirror and inspected herself. She found she looked identical to how she looked at 11 – She supposed she shouldn't be this surprised, Kurama did warn her, after all – It was only logical she'd look like she did at 11 when she turned back into an 11 year old. Still, it really drove the point home. She was glad she didn't wear a bra to bed; otherwise, her parents definitely would've noticed a C-cup poking out and questioned why their pre-pubescent daughter was wearing it. She looked in the dresser for underwear and found an array of orange sports bras and matching panties. She quickly put them on and sighed, feeling her own chest without reservation – She really had no breasts to speak of. Her legs were scrawny and undeveloped, lacking the definition they had in her grown body. She was atleast two feet shorter. She sighed. She wouldn't say she was ugly but she had really enjoyed a grown-up body. Now she'd have to wait at least 2 years before her body even began showing any signs of belonging to a woman.

She spent a long time inspecting her arm - It amazed her to feel her own skin and bone again. It was as if she'd never lost it. Well, she supposed, she really hadn't lost it. She bent it at the elbow and rotated the forearm continuously, marveling at it as if it was some new piece of technology totally foreign to her. Though she'd never been particularly handicapped by her loss of the arm, due to the replacement, it was still nice to be completely herself again.

She dressed herself in the one pair of shorts that reached her knees, which were the obnoxiously bright shade of orange that she loved and a black tank top with a matching orange stripe down the side. She found that the bottoms of the shorts flared up too much and tapered them down using nearby bandages as to not inhibit her movement. She searched the whole room but she couldn't find a leaf hitai-ate. The shoes that the alter-Naru (affectionately nicknamed, of course) owned also looked too smooth at the sole and only had one, thin strap keeping them in place – In short, they looked like casual sandals. _How did she wear these as a shinobi?_ Naru thought to herself but pulled them on nonetheless.

She borrowed the brush that sat on the dresser and began threading the bristles through her shoulder-length blonde tresses – They fell over her shoulder as the brush lost contact with them and Naru was about to begin braiding it before she realized there was no need. As a 25 year old, her hair reached her waist easily and so she had grown accustomed to braiding it to keep it out of the way but she didn't have any responsibilities that leaving it out would hinder at this age, so she did leave it out.

She heard chattering coming from the living-cum-dining room she had just vacated and pushed her ear against the door to listen, focusing her chakra in an attempt to enhance her hearing, which worked.

"Don't you think Naru is acting strange, Minato?" Kushina said – Naru could hear the faint click of dishes and the swishing of water accompanying her soft voice.

Light footsteps padded against the wooden floorboards as Minato paced: "She has." He said sharply. Naru noted that this goofball of a Father could actually sound serious when he wanted to. She wasn't pleased, however, that her parents seemed to be catching on that she was different.

"Maybe it's just because she's getting older." Kushina pointed out, still scrubbing away at the dishes. Her husband had taken a seat in their living room and was humming in thought.

"I don't know about that." He returned, propping his elbow on the armrest and balancing his chin on his palm, "She felt completely different. Her clothes were too big, she was acting like she wasn't used to us, she _accepted_ a compliment when she usually says it's embarrassing, and she was eating really slowly." He listed, staring at their family picture. Every time Minato looked at the picture, he remembers when she was young and sighs with happy nostalgia.

Kushina hummed her agreement, placing the now-dry dishes in their respective compartments of the kitchen. She joined Minato on the couch and leaned into him: "Not to mention the fact that we were completely babying her this morning and she didn't say anything about it. Plus when did she get that necklace? It looks awfully familiar."

Naru's eyes widened as she peered at the necklace – It was Grandma Tsunade's necklace, the one she had given her after she managed to master the Rasengan in a week – It had travelled with her just like her pajamas. Her ear still tightly pushed against the door, she kept listening in:

Minato nodded, remembering the many times Naru had told him to back off or gotten mad because they treated her like a kid. He lazily laced his fingers with Kushina's and sighed a deep sigh. "Maybe it isn't so bad, though?" He spoke with uncertainty.

"What do you mean?" Kushina's voice had a slight edge to it. Naru surmised that Kushina was assuming Minato didn't like Naru the way she was – From the sounds of it, he liked her a bit too much for alter-Naru's liking, however.

"Ah, calm down, dear. I'm not saying I didn't love Naru just as much as before but… If, say, she has decided that she was past her phase of being embarrassed by us, I'm not going to complain." He said with a hopeful tone.

Kushina blinked a few times then rested back into him; the two weren't exactly cuddling but they were enjoying light contact – Kushina supposed they often sat like this when they had a spare moment since Naru was born, just a lazy embrace, really. "Isn't it you she's embarrassed of?" She teased, smirking only slightly.

Minato sputtered then spoke defensively: "What have I ever done to embarrass her?"

"She said she wanted to spend time with her friends at the park and you followed her to make sure there weren't any boys."

"At that age, boys are dangerous!"

"She was 7."

"Exactly! How was she supposed to defend herself if I wasn't there?"

"The parents spotted you in the bushes and thought you were a pervert."

"A minor transgression." He waved off with an invisible hand; Naru laughed to herself – She had that memory; alter-Naru had been so embarrassed she ran home, crying.

Kushina laughed loudly and was soon joined by Minato. Naru slid against the door, sitting with a smile as she listened to them laughing together. Kushina was quite short-tempered but they did get along well enough – Naru wondered why alter-Naru would be at all displeased with having parents like them. Then again, Naru would have been content with _any_ parents at all.

Kushina's eyes snapped up to the clock and she gasped: "Crap! I have to go. It's almost 11 and my team moves out on their mission at 12. I'll be home in three days, Minato." She quickly ran into the room she shared with her husband and put on a form-fitting, black turtleneck and matching leggings, bandages at the knees. She placed her jounin flak jacket over the turtleneck, tied her waist length hair up in a high ponytail with two strands on either side framing her face and tied her leaf hitai-ate over her forehead.

Minato stood up and kissed his wife on the cheek. He waved at her as she passed him, "Good luck." He said with a smile. When the Yellow Flash had first married Kushina, he'd felt rather listless when she left for missions and constantly worried, sometimes even manipulating the roster so they were on the same team but she'd proven time and again that she was more than capable of taking care of herself, so he could now rest easy.

Naru heard them speaking and, by instinct, shot out of her room. She ran up to her Mother and hugged her around the waist. She didn't know what had possessed her to do it. She'd just heard them talking about a mission and suddenly felt this unstoppable urge to make her stay somehow. Naru had lived 25 years without parents and if she lost her Mother again, she didn't know if she could handle it. Even if it was just a mission. Even if shinobi came back from missions all the time, she didn't want to risk it. Sometimes, shinobi _didn't_ make it back and that was what worried Naru.

"Naru, what's wrong?" Kushina tried to hold her voice at a soft level but the impatience rang through her tone regardless – She was behind schedule and if she was late, they'd make her carry the heavier supplies – She was no weakling but she wasn't a fool either.

Naru's arms quickly retreated from Kushina and she looked shocked. "O-Oh. Sorry, I… don't know why I did that." The blonde girl said awkwardly, hopping from one foot to the other. She looked down at the ground as if she was ashamed and waited for her Mother to tell her not to touch her, or that she shouldn't be so familiar, or even hit her for daring to.

Instead, Kushina placed her hand on her daughter's head, ruffling the blonde locks, "Don't worry; your Mother is suuuuuper strong. Nothing can stop me, got it?" She spoke boisterously with a wide grin. She had zeroed in on the worry in Naru's eyes and her impatience had melted away – Who cares if she had to carry a bit of extra weight? She wanted to tone her body a bit more anyway. "That aside, don't stay up too late and eat properly, don't just eat take out because I'm gone, you hear me? I know it's tempting to let your Father spoil you because of how he is but don't get sucked in – Minato doesn't have a limit when it comes to you, so be the wiser one in this family for me." Naru could tell she wanted to continue; the nagging felt familiar in many ways but lacked that dull sadness that ached when she remembered – In contrast, it made her happy.

Naru looked up and found an identical grin spreading across her face. She nodded. _I want to go with her_. She thought but stifled it – She wanted to ask so badly, to ask if she could go but Naru, more than most, knew what the protocol for missions was – After all, in another life, she had been the one to assign missions and give instructions on protocol. Besides, the current Naru probably wasn't even a genin yet – There was no hitai-ate for her in sight.

Kushina left the house with a pleased smile on her face. It had been, what, 3 years since Naru had last clung to her like that as she left for a mission. It was a fulfilling feeling, to say the least, and she started agreeing with Minato that maybe this change in behavior wasn't bad at all. She jumped onto the roofs of the village and hoped she wouldn't be late, even if she was going to be the last.

When Naru was gone, she sighed heavily – Her Mother had said nothing could stop her but if that was the truth, Naru wouldn't have been made an orphan in the first place.

"Naru-chan," Minato cooed at her from the living room, hoping to cheer her up as she was just forlornly staring at the door.

She turned to him, "Yes?" She said, an imaginary pair of ears drooping.

Minato stopped for a moment, admiring how cute his daughter was before pulling himself out of his trance. "Since Kushina's gone for three days, you get to spend all that time with me!"

Despite her actual age, Naru felt giddy and excited like a, well, little girl – The Fourth Hokage had been her personal hero for a long time and finding out he was her Father just made her existence a bit prouder than before. Now she has the chance to not only spend quality time with the Father she never had but he's also _going to be_ the Fourth Hokage. She tried her hardest to push the worry for Kushina to the back of her mind and walked over to her Father, beaming happily: "Okay! Let's do it, dattebayo!"

Minato's eyes narrowed for a second, inspecting Naru's face. With a confused voice, he repeated the verbal tick: "Dattebayo?"

Naru cursed herself – Kakashi-sensei told her that the verbal tick came from her Mother so she assumed alter-Naru would share the habit but apparently not. Under that astute gaze, she felt like biting her tongue off right now and getting it over with.

Dispelling Naru's worries, Minato tipped his head to the side and smiled – no teeth showing, mind you – with closed eyes, "Just like your Mother, huh?" He said fondly. "So, what do you want to do today?"

Something about Minato's smile really made Naru comfortable. She felt emboldened and gave her usual Cheshire cat grin: "Ramen!" She roared with conviction.

Minato froze for a moment; he could've sworn Naru said she was on a diet. He shrugged, glad to see her becoming more comfortable with herself. If it was a chance to spend quality time with his daughter, he'd do it, "Let's go," He affirmed.

Naru inwardly did a little happy dance as they both walked out. She patiently waited for Minato to lock the door to their home and they both walked side by side in companionable silence until they were on the street.

Naru noticed with amazement how people came up to Minato and initiated pleasant conversation or simply waved to him. She also didn't miss the flirtatious glances sent his way from women and she couldn't help but laugh as she thought about how her Mother would react if they ever tried to act on their desires. She also wondered how she could apply these types of interactions between Hokage (though Minato wasn't there quite yet) and the citizens in _her_ Konoha. Then again, there was no telling whether she would actually return to that Konohagakure again. For all she knew, this _was_ her Konoha now.

Minato had just finished saying goodbye to a passerby when he heard Naru laugh quietly to herself, "What's funny?" He inquired curiously.

She looked mischief and grinned, "Oh, nothing." She couldn't very well tell him that she was imagining her Mother's red hair flying everywhere as women ran for their lives. "You're popular, aren't you?" She mused passively, more trying to make conversation than anything.

Minato's blue eyes lit up on that note, "Naru, are you jealous?"

Naru deadpanned at his complete misunderstanding. "I was just pointing it out,"

The soon-to-be Hokage slumped, "No chance, huh?" He uttered sadly, the hope slowly dying in his eyes.

On the other hand, Naru's eyes lit up. "There's Ichiraku, dattebayo!" She said with vigor, doing a little fist pump in the air as she wasted no time running to the stand. "Hurry up, let's go – Let's eat!"

Minato smiled warmly at her excitement, following at a steady pace. Naru took a moment to look at him and finally noticed the difference between Minato and other shinobi. He walked with passive grace, straight posture and earned nobility – There wasn't even a degree of a slouch present in his form. She could tell just by looking at him what a great man he was. She was proud that he was her Father.

She smiled back at him, not her usual boisterous grin but just a gentle smile. They both ducked under the curtain partitioning the actual restaurant from the street and took a seat at the short counter. Looking at the old design sure brought back memories!

Teuchi smiled at them hospitably, "Welcome! What can I get you, folks?" He said by habit. Naru was amazed; she knew she had travelled back but Teuchi really was a young man, he might've even been younger than Minato – There were no signs that time had affected him as much as it did _her_ Teuchi; that smile was free from any lines of age. He was the picture of youth. "Ah, Minato, is it? Kushina-chan isn't here with you today?" His eyes lit up, his smile now warmer and more familiar.

Minato returned the smile: "She's off on a mission. Today, it's just Naru and I." There was barely concealed excitement behind his words as if he desperately wanted to tell everyone that he was able to spend time with Naru.

"Oh ho, is that so?" Teuchi replied kindly. He dutifully wiped the counter on his side and looked over at Naru, "How long has it been since I've seen young Naru here, hm?"

Naru smiled weakly; she didn't know _how_ long it had been. She had memories from her birth until now but they were vague and many slots were left unfilled – She remembered happy, sad and mundane things but she could not recall them as she wished most of the time, despite Kurama telling her they were her memories. "Too long," She finally spoke after their smiles clashed for tens of seconds; the statement had been more of a question than anything.

"True enough!" Teuchi replied with a light chuckle. "What can I get you?"

"Miso, please!" Naru said excitedly, anticipating the delicious, genuine ramen. Her eyes absently went behind the counter as she scoped the area for Teuchi's daughter, Ayame. In her time, Ayame was almost 31, which means that right now… _Ayame is only 2 right now. So weird; she was always older than me and now I'm 9 years older than her._

"I'll take soy," Minato chimed in, eyes casting a sidelong glance at Naru as he watched her spacing out. Since this morning, she's been a bit strange – Crying in the morning, zoning out during breakfast and now she looked to be deep in thought about something. He'd have to find out about that later.

Teuchi seemed to find it amusing that Naru would choose the ramen with the naruto topping but decided against mentioning it. "Good choice," He settled. He retreated to the back to begin cooking the ramen and left the two family members.

"Hey, mister!" Naru called to him before he could get to his noodle-cooking station. After receiving a questioning look from Teuchi, she stared directly at him with an imploring look: "No matter who asks you to do it, don't _ever_ make this a dipping noodle shop, got it?"

Teuchi sweat dropped, wondering what had come over the girl. Still, he gave her a smile and laughed benevolently, "Ramen's all I know, kid! I ain't changin' anytime soon," he replied before getting to work.

Naru's eyebrows creased - even if she warned him, he might forget by the time Ayame was old enough to go on those fancy _supply and demand courses._

"I didn't know you liked ramen so much, Naru," Minato spoke without any real direction, simply turning to look at her.

She smiled lightly, trying to keep her undying love and admiration for ramen from surfacing, "It's okay; it tastes good so I like it." She said coolly. _And by okay, I mean that ramen is the food of the Gods, dattebayo!_ With that inner hype, she was starting to feel like Sakura – She just hoped her inner-Naru didn't say 'cha!' anytime soon.

Minato decided to play along and not mention how fired up she was at the mere mention of ramen, not to mention, how excited Naru got when Ichiraku was actually in her sights. "It's nice that we can spend some time together," He pointed out.

Naru nodded with a big grin: "I think so, too," she said honestly. She doubted Minato knew to the true extent that she was glad to spend time with her Father – The only thing that could make it better was if her Mother was there with them.

"Your Mother will be very jealous that we went to get ramen," Minato spoke again. His tone was level and calm; Naru noticed that even when he was doting on her, the tone remained – Only flecks of emotion or changes of inflection were present and she could tell it had been so well-honed that it was now second nature.

Naru poked out her tongue childishly, "That's her fault for going on a mission," She joked, letting out a small laugh.

Minato shared her laugh, "That's true but now you can have me all to yourself, isn't that great?" He said – Naru almost heard the slightest hint of teasing.

She hummed in thought for a second. Her eyes were caught on a silver feather hanging off an ornament nearby and it reminded her of a certain lazy sensei of hers, "What about your genin team?" She asked as the thought came to her. In truth, Naru had been so overwhelmed by today's events that she may or may not have completely forgotten about Kakashi-sensei.

Minato paused for a second, trying to remember if she had ever shown any interest in his team or if she even had any idea that he had one. "Ah, them." He nodded, looking thoughtful. "I suppose I do need to train them this coming Monday,"

"You forgot?" She asked, almost accusingly.

"Of course not! I would never forget my students," He defended, looking penitent – He had forgotten.

Naru let out a benevolent laugh, "That's no good! You can't just forget your team," She scolded jokingly.

"I told you I didn't forget, Naru," Minato said, dragging out her name in a whiny way.

"Okay, okay, I believe you," She conceded, waving an invisible hand. In truth, she just wanted to enjoy the ramen Teuchi delicately placed infront of her.

"Enjoy!" Teuchi said with a large smile. He enjoyed watching the two of them interact; from the sounds of it, when Minato is dragged to Ichiraku by Kushina (when all he wants to do is eat her home made cooking), Naru hadn't been very interested in spending time with either of her parents these past few years but times changed, he supposed. He just hoped his little Ayame would skip that phase.

"Itadakimasu!" Naru exclaimed, clapping her hands together before reaching for her chopsticks. She broke them apart and began swirling the ramen around them, blowing it before slurping the spindly noodles up. Naru was amazed by the flavors; she knew Teuchi was an amazing ramen chef, she'd go so far as to say he was an _artist_ but this taste was beyond anything he'd ever made for her – She supposed this is what Gai-sensei and by extension, Lee, called 'The Power of Youth'.

Minato watched, amused, as he saw her eat as if she had been eating ramen consistently her whole life – He also didn't miss the dribble of juice falling down her chin. He decided to focus on his own food and followed suit, enjoying the rich taste of the soy (but not as much as Kushina's cooking, of course).

Some time passed before Minato spoke again: "Naru, isn't that your third bowl already? You're still hungry?" He said, both frightened and impressed by her indomitable appetite. If his wallet was alive, it would be crying or trying to flee right now before it was drained dry.

Naru looked unabashed at him and smiled, "It's so good! This is the last one, I promise," She said before digging into her fourth bowl.

Minato nervously scratched the back of his head and gave a weak laugh, glancing at Teuchi who only smiled – He knew the man was only smiling affably but it looked malicious somehow just because of the amount of money he'd have to cough up after this. But if it's for Naru, he would endure.

Naru marveled at the simple fulfillment she felt just sitting with her Father and eating ramen together. It reminded her a lot of the times she had spent with Iruka-sensei – She felt bad but this might feel roughly one hundred times better. Iruka-sensei had been like a Father to her but Minato truly _was_ her Father – Even if she wanted to kid herself into thinking it wasn't so, the two were on different levels.

"Wow, I'm so full," Naru breathed out, patting her stomach as the two walked side by side out into the street after leaving the stand. "Thanks for the food!" She beamed up at Minato, who looked a bit defeated in all honesty.

His mood brightened at her smile and his hand found her head, ruffling the blonde locks: "Not a problem, Naru-chan," He replied happily. He realized he was pushing his luck – (His) Naru didn't like when he messed up her hair or when he added –chan to the end of her name because it made her feel like a child.

Naru, though, felt the warmth soothe her and she smiled a gentle smile, not bothering to reset the pieces of hair that had become fly aways due to the friction – She didn't want to disturb anything about the moment. She was actually an adult and yet she so easily allowed herself to be pulled along with Minato's fatherly whims back into the days when she was just a kid. Well, mind you, she had settled down considerably since then – She wasn't nearly as loud or obnoxious, she could handle making normal conversation without major outbursts.

"Where do you want to go next?"

"I'm not sure," She replied, looking thoughtful. She spotted a convenience store and her blue eyes lit up, "Could we stop there for a second?" She pointed at the store.

"If that's what you want," He said, smiling.

Naru instructed her Father to wait outside for her and she walked in, looking around – She noticed the freezer in the back and briskly walked there, whistling happily. Her eyes settled on what she wanted and she reached into her pocket – alter-Naru was truly broke; she just barely had enough to afford the item. _I miss my Gama-chan_. Naru thought ruefully before going to the register. She nodded when the cashier asked if that'd be all and walked out with her purchase in hand.

"What did you end up buying?"

"This!" Naru said excitedly. She showed him a blue popsicle, or rather two that were joined together. She pulled them apart and held one out to Minato with a smile, "Here, this one's for you!"

"Really? Then I humbly accept,"

Naru laughed and began eating hers. She couldn't think of a better person to share the treat with than Minato – The sweet, cool taste brought back both happy and sad memories but all important. It didn't feel that long ago that a lonely Naru had been looking at her makeshift mentor, hoping to find some sort of father figure in him and he'd humored her by sharing the same type of popsicle with her – She truly missed Pervy Sage, er, Jiraiya. Her smile wavered for a moment but true to her character, it really was only a moment – She cheered herself up by remembering that, in this time, Jiraiya was very much alive. She stood there, thinking about what would happen if they met – Naru was sure she'd cry and try to hug him but to him, she'd be a stranger. She briefly wondered if she could reveal her time traveller status to him – He was pervy but he was wise and trustworthy.

Despite his rather overbearing and doting ways as a Father, Minato was renowned for his intellect – He was, for all intents and purposes, considered a prodigy in every way – He could analyze a situation logically from angles others didn't even begin to perceive, he noticed the slightest twitches in his enemies and could use it to discern their intentions, habits, personalities, and his head was never under pressure, never without purpose when it counted. He didn't like using this skill on his daughter, he truly didn't but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

At times like these, he'd notice the expressions on her face change from childish smiles to brooding looks. Those eyes that shone of determination and happiness somehow portrayed the feeling of hidden depths – When her mouth quivers and her eyes turn glassy, when she isn't entirely there and it seems that a new maturity swims in the cerulean pools passively. When she spaces out, a defenseless display of eyes that have seen hardship and knew pain; the eyes of a shinobi – not just a genin or even a chunin – Minato dared to think they even reminded him of the hardened eyes of a veteran or an ANBU whose life was endless and senseless slaughter without identity or recognition. Minato was acutely aware that the atmosphere was already more serious than he intended.

"Is something the matter?" Naru's voice rings through his thoughts. Minato's face doesn't change; he doesn't show his surprise – He was practiced and careful, that's how he survived and thrived as a shinobi.

"Nothing," Minato says with a level tone but Naru is quick to note that his usual smile isn't there and the slight tension in his jaw doesn't lessen with each step that they take. Naru's eyelids cover a little more of her blue orbs as she notices his suspicion; Kurama doesn't let her miss it, even if she wants to. The popsicle sat forgotten in his hand, drops of its melted form falling onto the dirt road.

She sighs deeply and ushers him to a seat. She doesn't look at him when she speaks, not wanting him to see the look in her eyes, "There is something, isn't there?" She said. Suddenly, her voice wasn't as high-pitched as before and her eyes dull; she's an adult and she can't handle everything like a child. What else could she do but face it head on? That's how she'd always dealt with her problems and it'd worked out.

Minato works to discern the quiet sadness in her voice and leans back, "You seem strange," He tells her honestly. His eyes flick to her in a sidelong gaze, watching her face.

"Is that so?" She ponders, more to herself than Minato. "What's different?" She asks after a pregnant pause. She attempts to keep a straight face but no matter how old she gets, her emotions always show on her face – everyone knows she's _too_ expressive.

What Minato finds there threatens to break his heart; an eerie mixture of sadness, loneliness and only the slightest twinge of hope daring to show behind. He steadies himself and begins, "Everything about you seems to have changed to some degree. Your reactions, mannerisms, expressions. It still feels like you're my Naru but I can't explain these changes." He tells her.

Naru doesn't feel like the Hokage who was sensible and clever at a moment's notice or her twenty-five year old self that had almost moved past the irrevocable loneliness that came with being orphaned from birth. She feels like a lost child when he talks to her in that analytical tone – Is she an enemy? It hurts to think that's how he sees her. Even if she's a little different, she's still Naru. "Do you think I'm someone else or something?" She hopes it comes out as a joke but she's obviously cutting straight to the point.

"No, but I…" He trailed off. What exactly did he mean? It certainly sounded like he was insinuating that she wasn't _his_ Naru, _his_ daughter. It was undeniable that he felt his paternal instincts drawn to her like a moth to a flame but his logical brain was telling him something was up. For Minato, logic meant survival.

Naru's blue eyes were like steel as she stared directly ahead of her, "Explain it to me clearly." It was almost an order. She used _that_ voice on Minato, her Father. Her Hokage voice. She was treating him like a comparably insignificant subordinate because if she looked at him like her hero and her Father, if she saw him in that light then his rejection of her existence would hurt too much to bear. Even now, it hurt so much already. She knew she didn't really have the right to feel that way, she had usurped alter-Naru's place, after all.

Minato decides _screw it_ and turns to Naru. His arms are slow and deliberate, treating her like a frightened cat. They encircle her with warmth formerly unknown and Minato envelopes her small form in a hug because he's not sure what else to do at this point. His logic was failing him, which had never happened, and his emotions were all he had left. His mind screamed that something was off but his senses told him that she was _his_ daughter, even if she was different, it was her. "Sorry, don't worry about it." He mumbled. He was aware of the stares they were getting but didn't know if he had the strength to care. All he knew was that he didn't want her to have to use that voice and talk to him like a stranger because he was her Father and even if she came home with a second head, he'd still love her.

Naru's eyes widened – It certainly wasn't what she was expecting when the conversation had taken a turn. Despite her incredibly strong emotions, she fancied herself as someone who could overcome sadness by herself and push tears away without any incredible effort. However, this time it felt like quite a feat. She didn't know if it was because her current body was breaching puberty but her emotions were so much stronger – The urge to cry was all-consuming. Still, she held it in and nodded, bringing her small hand up to his arm and just _clutching_ Minato's sleeve like affirmation because that's all she could think of.

"Let's go home," He said simply. No question, just a statement.

"Yeah," Naru agreed. She was oddly embarrassed, although she was the type to publicize everything she did at this age back then; she honestly didn't feel the need to draw anyone's attention.

The two walked back in silence, reeling from what had happened. Minato pondered the constant fluctuations and inconsistencies in his daughter's demeanor; one moment she was a child, the next she was like an adult. Naru thought about how much a day could change everything; how scared she was to be hated by Minato and Kushina – She'd never had parents, she didn't know what this feeling was. Despite this, they found that they walked slightly closer together and the silence wasn't awkward by any means, just there. Unanswered questions hung in the air but the two were content to leave them as mysteries for now.

Naru bitterly recalls when Sasuke had told her that she didn't understand his pain because she never had parents in the first place; she was alone from the start. It's almost laughable that it would take 12 years and a time travel jutsu for her to come to understand. But oh, how she understands now. That feeling of warmth and comfort, a specific feeling that can't be described if it isn't felt – A _need_ to cling to it until it is wrenched from your grip and all you can do is mourn the loss – The feeling that can't be replicated by anything but the original source.

As Naru stares at the house that seemed so unfamiliar that morning, she understands the desperation she felt when she had sensed Minato's suspicion. Unlike her apartment in her youth that was just a mere shell, this was a _home_ – Minato and Kushina were the difference. Naru had dealt with a lot of pain in her life but she didn't know if she could recover from _that_ pain.

~Chapter End~

 **Ending Note:** _Sorry if that was a boring dialogue-fest, I just wanted to ease the story into it. Also, sorry for the random seriousness – I just felt like for most of the chapter, I was underestimating Minato's acute observational skills and I needed to include those so yeh._


	3. I'm so sorry!

_Hello, my lovely readers – Back again, I see ;)_

 _ **(Feel free to skip -) About the age difference between Kakashi and Obito/Rin:** I don't plan to change the fact that Rin and Obito are 4 years older than Kakashi in this story but I just wanted to take a moment to justify my decision. _

_Okay, so - Going by the fact that genins are automatically sorted into a team of 4 (3 genins, 1 jounin) after Graduation, I'm assuming that Rin, Kakashi and Obito graduated at the same time and became a team. This would fit with the timeline thereafter because, as we saw in Naruto, you need the entire team to participate in the Chuunin exams to qualify, so they all joined together - Both Obito and Kakashi were stated to have been in the same Chuunin exam with Kakashi achieving the rank at **6** and Obito failing at age _**10.**

 _Obito's apparent death is confirmed to happen when he was **13** shortly after Kakashi is promoted to Jounin. Kakashi states at some point that he was a jounin at Naruto's age in original Naruto but that doesn't necessarily mean that he ascended to Jounin when he was the same age as Naruto, just that by the time he actually was Naruto's age, he had been promoted to Jounin. That's why Kakashi's 9 and Obito and Rin are 13. :)_

* * *

After that _trying_ but short conversation with Minato, Naru and her Father had gone home together in silence – They hadn't talked when they got home until dinner. Still, they only spoke few, necessary words even then. Kurama had said a few choice words, calling Naru a 'stubborn brat' but it wasn't as if Naru was mad, she just didn't know what to say. ' _Sorry that you noticed I'm hiding an incredible secret from you. Truce?'_ or ' _I'm not mad that you realized something was off because there is something very off like I replaced the daughter you've known for 11 years but oh well, let's go back to before?'_

That night, Naru had no problems drifting to sleep despite feeling a bit indignant about having a bed time but she knew that if she had an 11 year old, she'd want them to go to bed at a healthy hour, too. She couldn't very well say, 'Lookie here. I'm the _Hokage_ and I'm _twenty-five_ years old – I refuse to have a bedtime'. Besides, she was emotionally exhausted. Her dreams were guilt-ridden and slow; it didn't feel like time just flew by, so much as it drudged along – If the saying goes time flies when you're having fun, then she could apply the opposite to her dreams.

She dreamed of them all. Every person she had ever been bound to in her life – All the bonds she had worked tirelessly to create and maintain. They all stood in a circle, looking with accusatory sadness at her. They claimed she had forgotten them so easily; that they were nothing, after all. That all her words of friendship and loyalty were nothing more, just _words without meaning._

 _"Your parents are more important than all of us combined,"_ They said in their anger, _"All those times you helped us and smiled at us were meaningless. You just wanted someone to replace your dead parents. We're useless now that you have them."_

She realized then, more than ever before, what she had done - She had sacrificed all of the memories she had with her friends because she couldn't handle the difficulties in her life. She had so easily broken the bonds that she claimed to cherish more than anyone - She had been _arrogant_.

Even more than that, she was greedy. She found herself thinking that between her friends and her parents, she couldn't decide - She wanted both. Now that she knew them both, she couldn't bare to give one up. She agonized over it for a long time, her friends' hurt voices echoing in her mind. Still, she repeated her resolve to meet them all again and she'd make new memories - Happier memories for them all; she wouldn't let them be hurt again.

Unable to stop it, her sleeping form, young and small, silently let tears seep from beneath closed eyelids and her face scrunched into an expression of strain. More than wailing and hiccupping, those solemn tears spoke of sadness far greater. All she could think was _sorry_ because there was nothing she could do now but to continue living and to form those bonds again – The memories wouldn't be the same but there'd be memories, she could be sure of that, if nothing else.

When she woke up, her blue eyes were greeted by the sun, bearing down mercilessly on her despite the fact that she had just woken up. Her small hands came up to her face to wipe the tears from her eyes and the trails they had left behind. Embarrassed, she quickly flipped her white pillow over as she noticed the large pools of dampness on each side of where her head had once been. She groaned, thinking about how much of a crybaby she had become since she got there and it'd only been one day.

 **Do you have something against pleasant dreams, brat?**

Naru looked bashful for a moment before letting a small, nervous laugh leave her lips, "You saw that, huh?"

 **Do you dislike this new reality?**

Naru shook her head and gave a small smile, though she knew he couldn't see it at all: "I have my parents and it's not like I'll never see my friends again, they'll just be a bit smaller compared to me, that's all." She tried to remain positive.

 **How do you plan to reconnect with them?**

She was taken aback; Kurama was actually interested in her emotional wellbeing, it seemed. She hummed in thought for a moment. "I'll wing it?"

Kurama let out a deep sigh, thinking that was very Naruto of her to say. **You call yourself an adult but you still have the thought process of a child.**

"Yeah, yeah – Whatever," She waved off, stretching herself out with a yawn. "Hey, maybe I can meet my friends when they're babies and they can call me onee-chan," She joked, laughing happily.

 **You truly don't have a plan of attack, do you?**

Naru sat and thought for a while before shaking her head. She really hadn't thought about it. Everything had always happened so dynamically on its own throughout her life and she had merely followed the path of life, rolled with the punches and stood her ground. That's all she knew.

 **Think carefully. This is the year that Kakashi's precious** ** _comrades_** **will die. Before that time comes, I suggest you think about what you will do.**

Naru's eyes widened and she paused as she was about to get out of bed. Kurama was right – She had been so excited to help Kakashi-sensei but she hadn't given any thought to _how_ she was going to do that. At this point, she hadn't even met him in this time. "Well, I know their deaths were surrounding their mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge." She said out loud, pensively. Since Naru and Kurama had begun to get along, she'd found that the Kyuubi was a perfect way to explain speaking out loud to herself without a threat of going to Konoha's psych ward. "When they got the mission, The Fourth, er, my Father was called to the Front Lines so Kakashi-sensei was put in charge. Rin got kidnapped and Obito went to save her but the cave collapsed and Obito was crushed by a huge boulder."

 **But he didn't die? What tenacity that young Uchiha has.** Kurama said, not sounding impressed but amused, letting out a deep chuckle.

Naru looked determinedly at nowhere in particular: "All I have to do is _get rid of_ those Iwa-nins before Obito gets there." Naru had long since become accustomed to the idea of killing – Rather, she had always understood that when you enter a fight, you have to be prepared to kill the opponent – That's just what it meant to be shinobi. Therefore, she had no qualms about killing the Iwagakure shinobi. She may have a _slight_ grudge against them due to the pain they caused her sensei but that was beside the point.

 **Brat, why are you not planning to kill them before they are allowed to take the girl?**

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash," Naru quoted with a nostalgic smile, leaning the side of her face on her palm, "That's an important lesson I don't want Kakashi-sensei to miss out on."

Kurama grinned, bearing his teeth. **That aside, have you even tested to what extent your combat proficiency transferred into this world? You are only a child, after all.**

"I haven't," Naru replied, a troubled look on her face. "I need to find a training ground that isn't in use right now but… How to explain it to my Father without him getting suspicious." She pondered – He was truly an overprotective old man. She didn't hate it but it made it hard to hide things, especially when he was as sharp as Sasuke's kusanagi (super sharp) at all times.

Kurama's eyes shifted to the corner of Naru's view that was being projected into her mindscape for him where the door was. He sensed chakra; controlled but still noticeable. **That overprotective old man plans to enter this room. I'm going back to sleep.**

"Argh, you lazy fox!" She growled under her breath, making sure that her Father couldn't hear from the other side of the door.

 **Hmph.**

 _Why that arrogant bastard! That's right; I want you to hear that!_ She thought defiantly. She jumped out of bed in her fitted, pale-orange pajamas and frowned as she missed her little otter hat that had sat on her head since she was a little kid. A knock sounded and she smiled, "Come in," she called. She guessed she could ask her Father about a training ground – He was quite high up, after all. Even an Academy Student would want to train.

"Morning, Naru-chan," Minato smiled – It was much more subdued than yesterday and Naru somehow felt guilty. She could tell the man had agonized about their conversation. She was right – Whenever he argued or had a _disagreement_ with (his) Naru, he was deeply off-center but Kushina would usually be there to listen to his sorrows and comfort him.

She gave him a bright smile, hoping to set him at ease, "Good morning!" She bellowed cheerfully.

The Fourth-to-be's smile became bolder as he took in her happy state, "I made breakfast, let's eat together." He suggested wearily, watching for her reactions.

"Okay, let's do it, 'ttebayo!" Naru sweat dropped, hoping he didn't notice she was overcompensating to get over the awkward feelings from yesterday. She followed her Father and saw that they were having miso soup with rice. She sat down and immediately began eating, hoping to taste that same explosion of flavor that came from simplicity. Comparably, this was disappointing – It wasn't disgusting by any means but it wasn't at _that_ level – It tasted incredibly average.

Minato sighed, looking at the food he had made: "I miss Kushina's cooking," He said, more to himself than anyone – Naru silently agreed. His chopsticks swirled around the miso soup and marred the slight reflection of his cerulean orbs shown in it.

"Don't play with your food, just eat," Naru scolded before feeling incredibly embarrassed, though it didn't show – She had just sounded like a Mother. But, she had to admit, Minato had looked like a displeased child.

"Right, sorry," The Yellow Flash returned submissively, shoveling some rice into his mouth with practiced ease.

"Hey…" She began, not sure how to address him – Naru was sure he wouldn't question it if she called him 'Dad' or 'Father' but it felt a bit strange at this point – She assumed it would come later. "Do you know of any training grounds that are free today?" She asked him, cocking her head to the side curiously.

Minato let out a small laugh and looked at her with barely-hidden amusement, "Why would you need a training ground, Naru-chan?" He said as he chewed.

Suddenly, Naru felt like blushing (but didn't because she is a big girl, sh) and looked down at her food – Now she was the one stirring the miso aimlessly, "Well… Even I want to… practice sometimes… 'ttebayo," She said, flustered.

"Naru-chan, you're not even an Academy Student, remember? What are you going to practice in a training ground?" He pointed out.

Naru's eyes widened considerably. She wanted to scream 'What do you mean I'm not _even_ an Academy Student?! What am I then, a civilian? What the heck?!' but held it in, instead opting to just stare.

Minato let out a happy laugh and looked at her, "You must be really tired if you don't remember. Did you dream that you were a shinobi or something?" He teased, watching her agitated expression. "When Kushina and I took you to the Academy, you cried and begged us not to make you go, saying you didn't want to be a shinobi," He recanted, somehow looking nostalgic.

Naru deadpanned. She had disapproved of a lot of alter-Naru's life choices and her personality at many junctures since she's been there but this takes the cake – She found herself being _disgusted_ with that wimpy excuse for an Uzumaki. Instead of voicing or showing any of this, she instead let out a small laugh: "Oh, right. I forgot about that." Naru finally said, not wanting to give Minato any other reason to study her, "I guess I just… had a change of heart. I _really_ want to be a shinobi now." She pressed, looking hopeful.

Minato shifted in his seat – In truth, he'd been disappointed that his only child had not been interested in following in her parents' footsteps but the idea of her being a civilian had grown on him these past few years – She had a lesser chance of dying young and in pain, which was a plus. He looked at her, unsure: "I don't know, Naru-chan…"

Naru looked deeply pensive for a moment before brightening, knowing exactly the way to get her Father, a member of the male species, to bend to her will: "I know it will be hard but," she began, "… I really want to be a great shinobi **_just like you_** ," She regretted using this on her own Father but she _had_ to become a shinobi, that's the only life she knew – Besides, she'd never heard of a civilian taking the seat of Hokage before.

Minato looked at Naru's sparkling, blue eyes and sucked in the compliment more than willingly, losing his nerve to protest: "Well, if my Naru-chan wants to be a shinobi then she will be one!" He had fallen right into her trap.

 _The ego is an amazing thing._ She thought to herself triumphantly. As some sort of amends, Naru decided she would do the dishes – It was regrettable but she couldn't risk showing Minato that she could use Shadow Clones, not yet anyway, so it was all done by her own hand. Sincerely, of course.

"You don't usually do the dishes," Minato pointed out from behind her.

"Ah well, I just feel bad making you do them all the time," Naru returned dutifully.

"I see," He said simply. Naru waited for it and it came: "You're such a good girl, Naru-chan. Daddy is so proud of you," He gushed – She knew it couldn't be a simple matter of 'I see' with him.

Naru gave a nervous laugh and continued doing the dishes. "So, after this, can I go sign up for the Academy?" She said eagerly. She knew for a fact they didn't yet have the mandatory graduation age and she could quickly show them her skills and be a genin in no time – The sooner, the better. What was alter-Naru thinking? Naru couldn't live a civilian life.

"Already? Classes aren't on until tomorrow," Minato said, almost sad. It was obvious he wanted to spend the _entire_ three days with Naru but they both knew this was unrealistic from the start since he had to train his genin team tomorrow – He was a bit depressed, he didn't usually get the weekends off in the first place.

"Yeah, but if I go sign up now, I can go to the lesson tomorrow without problems," She reasoned then looked at his sad expression: "… Besides, it won't take long to enroll and then we can walk around together all day," She conceded, feeling absolutely defeated. Who was the parent here, again?

Minato visibly perked up at that, "Okay, sounds good," He nodded in agreement – a bit too fast if you asked Naru; his head might fall off at that speed.

Naru wiped her hands and gave him an extra-large grin as a reward, "Thanks!"

As she was about to retreat to her room to get ready, Naru stopped after hearing the seriousness in her Father's tone, "Naru," He called.

She didn't turn around, just stared at the door. "Hm?" She answered, not wanting to give anything away; feeling as though uttering an actual word would end this role she was playing.

"About yesterday, I'm really sorry," Minato finally said, looking guiltily at her.

Naru turned around and shook her head, "Don't worry 'bout it. I know I've been acting different than usual, I understand," She gave him a happy smile to drive the point home: "It'll take more than that to upset me, dattebayo!" She said before leaving to get ready.

Minato let out a small, good-humored exhale from his nose and turned around to pack the dishes into their places. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong but he knew that was his daughter and frankly, he was just glad he'd raised such a happy child in the end, even if the journey there was a bit bumpy.

Naru begrudgingly fitted herself into the orange skirt after putting on the black bike shorts and layered a half-black, half-orange shirt that showed her shoulders over it. She really needed to buy ninja clothes – She wouldn't mind finding something like the jumpsuit Jiraiya bought her during their training.

Minato looked at her from their living room couch as she exited her room and frowned, "Isn't that skirt a bit short?"

"Is it?" Naru returned, surprised. She looked at her legs and the skirt went down to her knees, "I'm wearing bike shorts underneath, though,"

"Still…" The Yellow Flash returned, uncertainty flashing into those mirrored, cerulean eyes.

A bright idea popped into Naru's head: "Alright, then let's buy some new clothes, dattebayo!" She suggested with excitement – Hey, she _was_ a woman, besides, this was a perfect way for her to get shinobi clothes.

"Okay!" Minato all but cheered. His wife's angry face and gravity-defying red hair briefly flashed into his head, "… But nothing too expensive, okay?" He said meekly. Balancing the two women in his life was hard.

Naru nodded – She wasn't after anything too fancy, just something easy to move around in, a weapons pouch for her kunai and shuriken, and proper shinobi sandals. "We can start after I get enrolled at the Academy,"

Minato grimaced; he still wasn't sure about his only daughter becoming a shinobi but he couldn't go back on a promise he made with his precious Naru, so he just went along with it. They left the house together and he locked the door, as would be expected.

Once again, Naru noticed people coming up to speak to Minato or Minato exchanging smiles, greetings and waves with the villagers - Civilian and shinobi alike. There was a certain amount of pride that came with being the Yellow Flash's daughter that she'd never felt so strongly before – People had told her how amazing he was during her training days but being next to him, she could appreciate it properly.

As they were walking, Naru wanted to ask about Kushina; she wanted to see if Minato knew anything but saying 'I wonder how Mother is doing,' felt wrong at this point but Minato would definitely be suspicious if she said, 'I wonder how **Kushina** is doing,' because that's a strange way for anyone to address their parent, especially if they've apparently lived quite a fulfilling family life with them for eleven years already.

Minato's thoughts were also with Kushina – He really missed his wife, even if he respected her battle prowess, it still got lonely sleeping alone and even though they'd been getting along, Naru didn't want to sit on the couch with him and converse a lot of the time. Not to mention, Kushina's amazing home-cooked food. His eyes drifted to his daughter – He felt bad for missing Kushina (though he shouldn't have) when she was here spending the day with him.

They both let out barely-there sighs almost in sync.

Naru finally broke the silence: "How is your genin team going?" She asked, merely wanting to make conversation.

"Hmm," Minato said, thoughtfully. "Fine, I suppose." He said without much enthusiasm.

"Is there something wrong with them?" _Like Kakashi-sensei reading Icha-Icha during training? Wait… Have any of those even been made yet? I mean, Pervy Sage_ _ **is**_ _old but… is he that old?_

Minato perked up, seeing this as Naru taking a genuine interest in him and his work, "Well, you see, Obito is always late and Kakashi trains himself into the ground, plus the two are always fighting. Rin has a really hard time working with confrontational people like those two," He explained as they walked.

Naru was surprised; Obito was the one who was late, not Kakashi. From the sounds of it, Kakashi is actually really dedicated. Though, the constant fighting sounds familiar. Oh, but… Sakura wasn't what you'd consider a bystander in all of their squabbles. "Why is Obito always late?" She asked, curiously.

Minato let out a small laugh, "He says things like, he had to carry an old woman and her bags home or a black cat walked in his path so he had to go the long way…"

Naru wanted to laugh; Kakashi should be sued for copyright violations – Those were always his number one excuses. If Obito also got 'lost on the path of life' that would be too much. "I wouldn't mind meeting your team," She hinted, looking up at him.

Minato's blue eyes looked troubled. Two of three of the members were boys… and his Naru-chan is so cute. He kept walking, humming in thought and completely ignoring two important facts: One; Kakashi was way too straight-laced for that sort of thing (or is he?) and two; Obito is deeply in love with Rin. "They are busy with training, Naru-chan…"

She bit her lip. She was trying to think of a way to come in contact with Kakashi – If that happened, it wouldn't be odd for her to gather information, "Well, maybe I can train with you guys sometimes!" She said enthusiastically – It had been many, _many_ years (more than she'd like to admit) since Naru actually trained – She still did general exercise to keep in shape but well, in her time, they were in a state of relative peace and she'd not had a reason to train incredibly hard.

Minato still didn't have the resolve to deny his only child, so just settled for an impassive "Maybe, Naru-chan," and a natural smile.

Naru decided to take that as a 'yes' since she's definitely meeting Kakashi-sensei at some point, no matter what. "We're here!" She said, her steps speeding up a bit more as the Academy building came into sight.

"Alright, alright. Slow down a bit," Minato called. He and Naru continued at an even pace to the Administrative Office. When he saw the receptionist there, he gave a shallow and quick bow, "Good morning, Kiryuu-san," He greeted politely.

"Ah, Minato-san! How nice to see you. How can I help you today?" A pleasant old woman, with slight flecks of black still visible in her gray stresses, spoke with a smile. Her eyes landed on Naru: "An enrollment, perhaps?"

Minato nodded, "Yes, I'm here to get my daughter, Naruto, enrolled here. She's starting a bit late but I hope you can accommodate her," He said professionally.

Naru wanted to dig a hole and curl up in it; he didn't have to mention the late thing. Yeah, she knows she's about 5 years late but it isn't her fault! It's **_her_** fault, that wimpy excuse for a Naruto!

The old woman nodded without losing her smile. She went into the back and took a form from one of the many filing cabinet drawers behind her, nodding as she inspected the sheet. "Here you go, Minato-san. Please, fill this out and return it. Since it's you, I don't think there'll be much of a wait on the processing time,"

"Thank you very much," He returned politely. He led Naru over to a set of chairs in the waiting area and leaned on his knee as he was about to begin writing.

"I can do that myself," Naru quickly pointed out. She remembered the time she applied for the Academy in her youth – The Third had to escort her to get the form because the receptionist wouldn't look twice at Naru and even then, she had to fill it out herself since he was barely able to make the trip to the Office with her due to his busy schedule. It was obvious they had waited until the last possible moment before they actually processed her enrollment since everyone around her age got their acceptance letters months before she did.

"Nonsense," Minato waved off with an invisible hand, his handwriting even neat without a solid surface – Just what you'd expect from a Sealing Master. "Filling this form out is for a parent, Naru-chan. Of course I'll be the one to fill it out,"

Naru was taken aback for a moment before smiling gently, an unreadable emotion in her eyes, "Okay, I'll leave it to you," She watched with transfixed attention on every stroke of the characters he penned out. When he got to the field for her name, she watched him carefully print _Naruto Namikaze_ in the box. _That's right… I'm a Namikaze by name, not an Uzumaki. It looks so strange._

Once that was all taken care of, the receptionist, Kiryuu-san, assured them that the application would be processed promptly but Naruto may not be able to attend classes until Wednesday. Of course, Naru wasn't particularly happy about the news but she understood – As the (former/future) Hokage, she knew that administrative requests, even for Academy Students, was a complicated and long process – It wasn't merely a matter of stamping 'approved' or 'denied' on the form. Students usually had to be assessed on their loyalty to the village, practical skills, endurance and physical exams were required to ensure that the student could cope with the classes – It was just Naru's luck that her Father was so well-liked and trusted among the villagers that she was able to skip that step entirely, though she had no doubt she could pass the admission requirements.

At this rate, Naru will be behind her original schedule but it was her fault for being so naïve to think that she could actually start the day after filling out the enrollment form. Admittedly, she had left a lot of the business to do with the Academy for Shikamaru, though she did go there once in a while to show them the Rasengan and sometimes even her Sage Mode – After her first visit, it became somewhat of a regular occurrence when the Chuunin teachers began telling her how well-received it was among the younger students and how they seem more determined.

She was a bit worried, however – She still had no idea when the 'Kannabi Bridge' mission will take place – For all she knows, it could happen tomorrow or Tuesday. She decided she absolutely had to find a training ground and test out her skills – It would be hard to know which one wasn't in use but she'd have to figure that out as she went. There was still the question of her Father, though.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Naru said suddenly as they walked.

"Oh, okay. I'll wait here then, Naru-chan," Minato returned, sitting on a bench off to the side.

Naru briskly walked towards one of the public bathrooms. Personally, she wouldn't actually use them – They were quite decrepit; her apartment was often a mess but it didn't even come to 1/100th of the amount of disgusting those public bathrooms were. She went into the stall, checking if there was anyone around. Her hands formed the appropriate sign, "Shadow Clone Jutsu," she whispered as a cloud of smoke appeared next to her – It suddenly felt a bit cramped.

"Hey, boss!" Her newly-formed clone bellowed with a smile.

"I gotta be quick so here goes. Go shopping with my Father; I need a few jumpsuits, ninja sandals and a weapons pouch – You know my tastes. Don't say anything that might give us away and don't do anything weird, got it?" She briefed the clone – She found that although they were carbon copies of her, they had a habit of going off on their own whims at times, which made it troublesome.

The clone gave an enthusiastic nod, "You got it!"

"Alright, go," Naru ordered, "Make sure you keep him away from the training grounds," She said at the last minute as the clone was about to retreat from the stall.

"Got it," The clone returned. She fast-walked out of the bathroom, grumbling under her breath about how gross the place was and how the boss never summoned them in nice places.

Naru felt both guilt and disappointment as she sent the clone off – She had promised her Father _she_ would spend the day with him but now she was ditching him and leaving him to hang around with one of her clones. She couldn't really do anything about it, though – She's sure that she can save her Father a lot of pain in the future if she can stop two of his students from dying. She really hoped her Father couldn't see through it; as she was going to test her abilities, she didn't give her clone much chakra at all. With her mind set, she left the bathroom, looking both ways before coming out completely.

She didn't exactly want to use a henge – Unlike some people, she can't actually create a new appearance, she can only use an existing one. She could use one of her friends' appearances but it would be troublesome if they're seen walking around, fully-grown four years before their birth – Even if no one remembers by then, she wouldn't want to risk it. She briefly thought about using her twenty-five year old self but decided against it – There aren't many blonde-haired, blue-eyed people in Konohagakure so Minato would, no doubt, be getting asked questions about his _relative_.

She decided it would be best if she just used her own appearance. Hopefully no one would notice there were two of her and if they did, they would just assume she had moved from one place to another.

* * *

It took hours but she finally managed to find a training ground that wasn't in use and that was a fair distance from the Shopping District - It would've been much faster if the training areas were actually in the same places. It seems that some time or another, they'd switched the places around. This one was definitely new (or should she say old?) to her.

Now that she was here, she realized she hadn't quite thought this all the way through. If she used the Rasengan or any variants and someone noticed, it would undoubtedly get back to her Father. If someone saw her use Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, she'd be questioned about knowing a Forbidden Jutsu and that would be bad. If she used Kurama or any of the tailed beasts chakra, every high-level Shinobi would be on her in seconds. If she used Sage Mode, who knows who could sense her?!

She let herself fall onto the soft grass and lay on her back with a deep sigh, "Man, I'm an idiot,"

While she was laying there, she considered telling her Father about her status as a time traveler, which would make everything alot easier but... There was always a chance he would react badly. In truth, she was beyond excited thinking that she could show her Father that she completed Rasengan and had developed multiple variants as part of his legacy. She sighed again, thinking that was definitely impossible at this point.

Breaking her thoughts, light footsteps came towards her. A boy with ebony eyes and matching, spiky hair leaned over her and met her blue orbs, "Why are you an idiot?" He asked curiously, his goggles shifting down onto his forehead slightly.

Naru's eyes widened in surprise at the boy. She sat up slowly, careful to give him enough time to move his face lest it collide with hers. She sat there for awhile, "Nothing important," Naru brushed off with her back to him. _Is he someone I know?_

The boy took a seat next to her in an instant, smiling broadly. His hands clasped behind his head as if he was trying to rest it on them, "You look really familiar," He noted, taking in her appearance.

 _Guess not._ She thought. "Do I?" She asked awkwardly, not sure how to respond. She leaned back, using her arms like stands to keep herself upright.

"Yeah! You look just like my sensei," He told her brightly, crossing his legs in front of him. That struck a cord with Naru as she had previously noted the blue-eyed, blonde-haired combination was rare in Konoha. "My name's Obito Uchiha, by the way. Who are you?" He asked with a smile, his head tilted inquisitively.

Naru looked at him for a long while. It took her awhile to register that this was the very same Obito Uchiha whose name was etched into the Memorial Stone, who was crushed by a boulder and became Tobi.

He waved his head over her face, "Hello?" He questioned with a perplexed expression.

"Sorry, sorry," She said, giving a nervous laugh. Her finger tips found the nape of her neck, "I'm Naruto Uzu- Namikaze." She finally said, calling herself 'Uzumaki' was evidently a life-long habit, "Nice to meet you," She smiled at him. _He seems like a nice kid._ _Is he really an Uchiha? He sure is expressive. Unlike a certain sour puss I know._

"Whaa!" Obito's face was one of pure surprise, "Then you're Minato-sensei's daughter?"

Naru nodded with enthusiasm, a loud grin on her face, "That's me, dattebayo!" She replied with pride.

Obito looked to the side and exhaled sharply, "Minato-sensei said we couldn't meet his daughter because she was too cute. I guess we have different standards," He spoke, more to himself than anyone.

Naru deadpanned. _I take it back, this kid's a pain in the ass._ Her eyes narrowed when she heard Kurama snicker in the back of her mind. She gritted her teeth, "I'm sorry I didn't meet your expectations," She ground out. _Stay calm, Naru. Stay calm._

"It's fine," Obito replied insensitively. It's not that he intended to be rude, he was just naturally honest, that's all. "Why is your name Naruto, anyway?" He asked after a few seconds of silence. It was, indeed, an odd name.

"It's from a book," She explained, considerably calming herself - She thought about how lucky this kid was that she didn't have the same temper she did back when she was actually this age. "My Godfather wrote it,"

Obito nodded in understanding. He inspected her again before asking, "Where's your hitai-ate? You're a genin, right?"

Naru bit her lip - This kid knew how to say everything that pushed her buttons. "I'm starting the Academy on Wednesday," she spoke evenly, not giving away her deep embarrassment.

Unexpectedly, the Uchiha boy just smiled warmly at her before speaking, "That's okay!" He exclaimed, obviously trying to cheer her up.

For some reason, it just made her feel worse. "Thanks," She returned dryly.

"Don't worry, I know how it feels to be behind," He said sadly, looking at his lap.

Naru sighed. She saw alot of her younger self reflected in Obito but then, the original Obito had seen himself reflected in Naruto - What a strange twist of fate this was. "A rival?" She asked knowingly.

Obito gulped then nodded, "Bakashi," He grumbled with spite.

Naru let out a large guffaw at that. Her laughing kept going as she spoke with tears forming in her eyes, "Bakashi, that's pretty good!" She exclaimed, patting him on the back.

Obito was surprised at how firm and forceful the pats were but quickly recovered, not wanting to seem weak. "Do you know him?" He said, dark eyes looking at her.

"Hm," She pondered, looking for the right way to answer this. Finally, she shook her head, "I've never met him but I've heard quite a bit about him," She lied.

"From Minato-sensei?" Obito asked, looking slightly displeased.

"He mentioned him a few times, yeah," Naru confirmed but immediately regretted it.

The Uchiha sighed deeply and his mood seemed to be on the low side. "Bakashi is sensei's favourite, after all,"

Naruto felt pity towards the young Uchiha - She knew exactly what it felt like to be second best in her Sensei's eyes; Sasuke always was the favourite. She gave Obito a bright smile, "Don't worry, 'ttebayo!" She said, "He mentioned you, too. He said you're always late," She laughed, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Hey!" The Uchiha returned energetically, "That's because I have to-"

"Help old ladies get home?"

"Yeah and-"

"Sometimes there are black cats in your path?"

"How'd you know that?"

Naru's smile reduced to a thin one, "My... Father told me," She offered. She wondered if he noticed her reluctance to address Minato as her Father.

Obviously, he didn't. He looked stuck between a pleased expression because his sensei actually saw fit to mention him and a disappointed one because it was just about how late he was - It was quite a funny sight, "I see..." He settled.

"Why are you here, anyway?" She asked him - She was sure she had found a secluded training ground. It's lucky she thought before she started using her jutsu.

"Ah," He began, "I was going to do some extra training by myself so I can..." _impress Rin_ "... be ready for training tomorrow!"

Naru nodded in understanding. Soon after, her eyes widened as a fresh batch of memories were forced into her mind. _Shit!_ She thought. "Sorry, Obito. I have to go now! I'll see you some other time." She said, already on her feet and running, "Don't lose to Bakashi!" She called back to him, waving frantically.

Obito waved back with a dumbfounded look on his face, watching the leaves follow the new wind current Naru had caused.

The last memory she saw of her clone was in the Shopping District - She had put so little chakra into it, it burst simply from being bumped into with a bit of force - She was stupid to think that was enough in the crowded area. She cursed under her breath, channeling chakra to her feet to increase her speed. _What should I do?_ She thought in horror. "Sorry!" She yelled as she shot past the pedestrians, causing their hair and clothes to become somewhat disheveled.

She closed her eyes and tried to think. There was no way that she could hope her Father didn't notice; he wasn't an idiot and he was constantly paying attention to her. No matter how fast she ran, it wasn't as if she could simply get there before he turned around and saw the clone was gone. She made it to the Shopping District but he was no where in sight. She looked frantically through the crowd but he was gone. _Did he go home?_

* * *

The Yellow Flash, for the first time in years, dragged his feet. He sighed deeply as he made his way home. He felt like a joke. He had been excited by the thought that his daughter had actually wanted to spend time with him but instead, he found that she had left a clone in her place and gone god-knows-where. He supposed she really didn't want to spend time with her Father after all. More than Naru's rejection of his doting ways, having her lead him to believe she enjoyed spending time with him and then being proven wrong like that is probably a lot worse... It's quite heartbreaking, to say the least.

He unlocked the door to the house and drudged inside, completely dejected. He was so lost in his thoughts that he almost tripped up four times. If anyone saw the Yellow Flash reduced to this, they'd surely laugh at him - He was supposed to be a cool, calm, collected prodigal shinobi but instead, he was brought to his knees by an eleven year old girl.

He let himself fall back onto the couch and let out another deep sigh, his blue eyes closed. He let the shopping bags he was holding fall to the ground next to him in a heap, not feeling particularly bothered by them at the moment.

Barely minutes later, the door shot open with quite a bit of force as Naru had trouble stopping her chakra-infused feet.

Minato looked back from the couch at the doorway and his eyes met the mirrored ones of his daughter.

Naru flinched upon seeing the deep sadness and disappointment she had caused to cloud his perceptive blue eyes. She took a few more tentative steps forward into the house and frowned, "I'm so sorry!" instantly fell from her lips, because she wasn't sure what else to say...

~Chapter End~


	4. The Truth Is

**Author's Note:** Hey _people! Miss me? ;D No? Oh, well... Okay then :( I actually had to delete this after I uploaded it because after I read through it, I realized I REALLY rushed Naru telling Minato about her situation and the reactions just felt wrong and lack-luster, you know?  
_

* * *

Minato was ignoring Naru; Naru wasn't happy. She had been sitting on the couch next to him for over an hour, trying to get his attention so he could forgive her but sometimes, she found, he could be just as stubborn, if not more so, than she could - Maybe Kushina had rubbed off on him a bit too much. She had tried prodding him in the side, tugging on his blonde spikes and pulling on his arm but nothing worked; he wouldn't budge.

"I said I was sorry," She whined, prodding his side once again with a thin finger. "I'm really sorry, 'ttebayo!"

Minato just sat and stared at nothing in particular. Naru thought that anything would be better than the silent treatment - Even having him blow up and yell at her would be better just as long as he acknowledged her presence.

"Hey, come on," She said, voice weakening, "Don't be like that," She implored. She bitterly thought that this was the most like Father and Daughter they had felt since she arrived and that was just plain disturbing. She wished he would just hurry up and forgive her. Or that he was more like her Mother and would just give her a hard knock on the head and be done with it.

Still no reply, though he shifted a little, just to rest the side of his face on his palm. Naru thought maybe he was giving in bit by bit but he was probably just getting comfortable since he was in it for the long haul.

She sighed deeply as she fell back with a thud into the couch. Her two hands clasped their fingers together and held the back of her head, "Look, it's not like I wanted to ditch you or anything,"

His blue eyes finally seemed to dart in her direction, if only for a second - Perhaps this was the direction he wanted the conversation to go in - An explanation; maybe her assuring him that she doesn't find him completely repulsive to be around.

Her mind was racing with a way to both resolve this issue and keep her status as a time traveler a secret. She knew nothing about alter-Naru's life and besides, saying something like her friends asking her to hang out with them would have just confirmed his fears that he just wasn't a priority to his only daughter. _Maybe,_ she thought, _It'd be okay to tell him._

The tension in Minato's shoulders seemed to be relieved to some degree as he fell against the support of the couch, letting out a short breath. It seemed that he wasn't completely adverse to listening to her explanation.

She psyched herself up - She wanted to tell him what happened; wanted to trust him. Her Father was a reasonable man - He was an overprotective old man, sure, but they don't make people Hokage for nothing. She'd heard stories of his keen intellect and logical reasoning. It wouldn't be so hard to believe he could help her - Besides, she needed an ally in this time and who knows, if he reacted well, maybe she could even tell her Mother - That would be a huge victory for Naru if she didn't have to tip toe around the people she would be living with.

But then, there was the fact that she was actually twenty five and she was the Hokage and she had abandoned her duties and she had usurped the place their 11 year old daughter had left. Surely, there'd have to be some repercussions for that, even if they forgave her in the end. Besides, how would they treat her once her real age was revealed? Would they speak to her like an adult or worse, like a stranger?

She let out a deep sigh again, deciding that she really needed more time to think. She decided she'd just sit there and keep quiet for a while. She was old enough to have some patience - Maybe her old man would forgive her by himself and she wouldn't even have to tell him. But maybe, she will have to.

* * *

The Great Toad Sage, eyes barely opened, towered over the white-haired man whose size wasn't considered small by any means in the human realm. The two stared at each other for a long while before Gamamaru finally spoke:

"Who're you again?"

Jiraiya sweat dropped. _This old coot._ "It's me! Jiraiya!" He exclaimed in exasperation.

"Ah, yes, yes. What do you need?"

The perverted Toad Sage sighed deeply but decided it was useless trying to argue with the senile frog even if he had explained what he needed roughly four times now - Maybe he should have gone to see Fukasaku or Shima. He unraveled the summoning contract and motioned to the newest addition to signatures and hand prints, "I wanted to know when this happened,"

Gamamaru's eyes squinted even more, if ever that was possible, zoning in on the small hand print and messy print that read 'Naruto Uzumaki', "Ah well, that would be about... hm... How long ago?" He pondered for a moment before speaking again, "Yes, yes, it must have been about twelve years ago now, how time flies,"

Jiraiya looked on in disbelief - twelve years? That's impossible. He would have noticed before now. "How can that be? It doesn't make any sense," He asserted, watching the old toad.

"Could I be wrong?" He thought out loud; his large eyes visibly moving behind wrinkled eyelids, "Certainly not..." He continued.

Jiraiya simply watched with that same look of disbelief. What did he mean, 12 years? That was, undoubtedly, the name of his former student's daughter and that surname surely belonged to his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. But if he remembered correctly, the kid was only 11, there was no way she could have signed a summoning contract in blood before she was born and that hand print, no matter how small, was definitely too large for a baby. "Are you positive you haven't made a mistake?" He asked seriously.

The Great Toad Sage seemed resolute and gave a slow, heavy nod, "No, no. It was definitely twelve years ago. You helped her sign it yourself,"

Before the pervert could say anymore, something along the lines of 'I never helped a fetus sign a summoning contract in blood!', Fukasaku hopped into the conversation, "Ah, Jiraiya-boy. So nice of you to visit," He sent a sharp look at the senile old toad and Jiraiya got the feeling his interruption wasn't merely coincidental.

"Pa," Jiraiya greeted impassively, eyes still focused on the Great Toad Sage, waiting for further explanation.

"Jiraiya-boy, why don't you go see the missus? She heard you were here and she's all excited to see you after all this time," Fukasaku spoke with his usual stern tone, though there was an insistence in his voice that was rarely heard.

"I'll make sure to visit Ma after I have finished my conversation with the Great Toad Sage," Jiraiya challenged, quirking a white eyebrow.

" _Jiraiya-boy,_ " Fukasaku returned with considerable bite, "Ma is all gussied up, waiting for you right now - You shouldn't keep her waiting. You know how she gets,"

Out of respect for the half of the Two Great Sage Toads, Jiraiya bowed and complied with his orders, if only to avoid further problems which would be made worse by the fact that he was in Fukasaku's territory. "Then I'll go see Ma now," He conceded, leaving. For a second, in the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the flicker of a mourning look cross Fukasaku's face but dismissed it as a mere trick of the light.

When the large doors closed, only the two old toads remained in the hollow room. Fukasaku was the first to speak, after pushing down the sadness from seeing Jiraiya for the first time since strange memories or, should he say, predictions began surfacing throughout Mount Myoboku, "I thought we agreed to keep that knowledge to ourselves," Fukasaku uttered seriously.

"What knowledge?" The old(er) toad returned, clueless.

"Why you senile-" Fukasaku began, before swallowing the choice words, "...About Naruto-girl,"

"Ah, yes," The Great Toad Sage said wisely. "How is Naruto these days?"

"We all know how she is," Fukasaku reminded him once again.

"Oh, yes, I suppose you're right," The large toad agreed.

Fukasaku sighed, deciding having a conversation with the Great Toad Sage was more effort than it was worth. He approached the large doors to leave and said only one thing before he did, "Don't tell Jiraiya-boy about Naruto-girl just yet." As he left the large chambers, he silently hoped that Naruto could save their Jiraiya-boy from his lonely death but wouldn't dare speak these desires, as if it would jinx the possibility.

* * *

On the other side of Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya and Shima were sitting together. The former felt rather off-put from Fukasaku's strange behavior and desperation to have him leave his audience with the Great Toad Sage, the latter was just glad to see Jiraiya after all those horrible visions started spreading like wild fire two days ago.

"Now, now, don't you worry about Pa, he's just moody lately is all," Shima spoke, trying to soothe the man who was just a sprouting youth compared to her.

Jiraiya observed the motherly toad; he didn't miss the softness in her eyes with the slightest glint of fear - Seeing this, he wondered if he had really just imagined that look on Fukasaku's face. He nodded, "That old toad's always been like that," He acknowledged, crossing his legs habitually.

Shima's eyes inspected Jiraiya's face before they took on a resolute look: "Jiraiya-boy, listen here," She spoke suddenly with seriousness laced intimately into her tone, "Don't start fights you can't finish, understand?"

"Ma..." Jiraiya returned, whiny. "What in the world are you talkin' about?"

"Now, I can't really say anything more than that," Shima said nervously, "Just remember what Ma told ya and don't go dyin', got it?"

At this point, Jiraiya was beyond confused and so he just nodded, not wanting to upset her. It seemed to him that everyone in Mount Myoboku knew something he didn't. Plainly, it was frustrating. Even Gama, that mute toad, had somehow conveyed a deep sadness to Jiraiya and attempted to swallow him to the place where he kept all of his treasures safe.

"Have you eaten yet, Jiraiya-boy?" She asked sternly, inspecting him.

Jiraiya immediately sweat dropped and nodded fervently, desperate not to eat her cooking. "I had a feast at the last Hot Spring I stayed at, so don't worry about me! I ain't missin' any meals," He assured her, patting his stomach with a nervous laugh.

Her eyes narrowed at his insistence and she inspected him again, "Don't go lyin' to me, Jiraiya-boy. Ma knows when you lie, got it? I know there's all those diet fads goin' around but if you wanna grow up to be big like Bunta-boy, you gotta eat more! You can never eat enough!" She insisted.

"Ma, there's no way I can ever be as big as Gamabunta,"

"Not at the rate you're goin'! Now sit tight and Ma will make you something good to eat," She said, pushing him down as he attempted to rise and pottering off to make her infamous dishes.

Jiraiya gulped and decided he'd have to accept his fate and puke his guts out later on - He didn't want to see Shima angry.

It was hours before he was able to leave Shima and Fukasaku's shared home but between shoveling the disgusting mix of questionable herbs and mashed bugs into his mouth and vomiting until there was nothing left and all he could do was dry-wretch, Jiraiya somehow found a coherent train of thought and rode it all the way to the idea that he needed to go to Konohagakure and confront the person in question directly. That's right, Jiraiya the Legenary Sanin was not above leveling with an eleven year old girl. And he would do it. Just you watch.

* * *

Somewhere in the Land of Fire...

"Shizune! Have you found it yet?" The buxom woman roared. Her eyes shifted around the bar from each patron to the next as she gulped down another mouthful of cheap sake.

"I'm sorry, M'lady - I can't seem to find it..." Came the timid reply from her slender, black-haired companion - 'Shizune'.

All eyes were on the aggressive blonde bombshell but no one dared to make a move - She was known far and wide, more than just for how attractive she was, as the strongest kunoichi alive (that they knew of, anyway). One of three Legendary Sanin, Tsunade Senju. Her fiery temper and monstrous strength was no secret either - Not warning anyone of these traits was like committing murder in itself.

Tonton looked left and right listlessly from her place in Shizune's arms, sweating profusely at the intense stare Tsunade was giving Shizune.

Tsunade's foot met a nearby table and it flipped without any resistance at all, flying into a nearby wall: "I want it found, ya hear me?! Don't come back until you have it!"

"Y-yes, M'lady. Right away, M'lady!" Shizune said devoutly, bowing several times in quick succession, making Tonton incredibly dizzy, before scurrying out of the bar and onto the streets.

Tsunade sighed and decided she better go looking herself. She started with the men at the bar, interrogating them and tugging at their collars until their shirts were close to ripping and she was sure they didn't have it. What was she looking for? Well, of course, she was looking for her Grandfather, The First Hokage's, necklace - A few days ago, it had suddenly disappeared and she was pretty damn sure no one could pull a fast one on her and steal it, even if she was in the deepest sleep of her life, so she had to have left it somewhere.

So for now, Tsunade was retracing her steps which landed her back in the Land of Fire and dangerously close to Konohagakure, which she tried her hardest to avoid for, what, 7 years now? Needless to say, she wasn't exactly keen on being near the place and she definitely didn't want to return. If she looked at the Hokage Monument again, she might just break. Everything in the vicinity, that is.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone but more than the sentimental value, she was hunting for that necklace just to save a few, unfortunate fools. She had never bitten into all that supernatural stuff about curses and the like but she was fairly certain that necklace really deserved its epithet of 'The Necklace of Death' and she'd be damned if she let the thing kill anyone else, even if it wasn't someone she knew. It had to return to her.

Being so focused on the necklace had unpleasant memories resurfacing like oil in water - Images of cute little Nawaki wanting to be Hokage and later, of limp, lifeless Nawaki, barely recognizable. Images of Dan, whom she gave her heart to, wanting to be Hokage and later, of a Dan who didn't want to die and her blood-soaked hands resting on his abdomen. Images of that necklace dangling around their necks like a taunting memento of her foolishness.

And now what? Strongest kunoichi alive? That was bullshit to her now. She couldn't fight seriously as a shinobi when she was too scared that she might shed her opponent's blood. That a drop might escape and she'd see it and her whole being would just freeze up. She was pathetic, truly and undoubtedly pathetic, even if she showed a tough exterior, her days of being a shinobi... Well, they were over. Unless some miracle cure came around but if there was one, she'd know about it since she was supposed to be the most talented medical-nin out there right now.

It was late when Shizune finally returned to their shared motel room and looked deeply apologetic, relaying to her that she certainly couldn't find the necklace and she'd scanned the entire town. Tsunade had drunken herself into somewhat of a stupor and somewhere along the way, her temper had flared and then died out like a campfire splashed with water, leaving only a minute reaction of telling Shizune to get some rest, followed by loud snoring.

The next day, Tsunade woke up uncharacteristically early and sighed to herself, wondering if she'd have to use _that_ to find it. She had a bad feeling that this search would somehow or another end with her confronting the Village she had resolutely turned her back on.

She decided that was a thought for another time and tried her luck at the nearby gambling parlor - She'd purposely picked the motel because of the bar and multiple gambling establishments in the immediate vicinity, though she'd never admit that fact. She went to the nearest available jackpot machine, inserted her money and pulled the lever. She won. Her bad feeling only increased. And increased some more, as she continued to win. People were gathering like moths to a bright flame as she pulled the lever and the money eagerly shot out of the machine into her waiting hands, filling multiple containers full of coins. Yep, something was definitely wrong here.

She returned to the motel room to find Shizune searching for any sign of her in the room - When she had opened the door, the slender woman had let out a sigh of relief.

"There you are, M'lady! I was worried because you had left so early," Shizune said meekly. Tonton gave a short chorus of her usual sounds in agreement.

"There's no time for that," Tsunade said flatly, "Come with me, Shizune. Hurry it up!" She commanded, already sauntering out of the room.

"A-ah, yes, M'lady!" Shizune called before running after her fierce teacher. "M'lady... If you don't mind me asking, where are we going?"

"To see someone," Tsunade said simply, "He's an old source," She continued.

"... I see," Shizune returned, not intending to push her teacher into her usual rage.

Shizune noticed with slight unease that they had gone through the bustling Market District and entered the shadiest part of town there was - She had no doubt none of them could be a match for Lady Tsunade but the overall dank and dark atmosphere was quite off-putting, to say the least. They turned down an alley and stopped at a brick wall. "Uh... M'lady, wh-"

"Open up, Hito!" Tsunade roared but rather than waiting for an answer, she brought her foot up to the wall and simply kicked a gaping hole into it.

A scrawny man with matted brown hair cowered for a moment at the flying rubble before a scowl formed on his face, "Tsunade- _hime_ , always a pleasure," He said condescendingly when the blonde bombshell was in his sights.

"I don't have time for small talk, you sewer rat," She growled, banging her first on the table he sat at.

"Now, now, Tsunade- _hime_. Try not to break all of my belongings, would you? I can only replace so much," He spoke again, voice wry. His eyes showed a glint of mischief in them when he next spoke, "So, what is it I, humble Hito, can do for you?"

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow; she was especially adverse to coming to Hito because he was such a patronizing bastard but she couldn't kill him - He was her only source in this village, "I need something found," She finally ground out.

"Well, well - What is it you've lost? A man, perhaps? Did they run away the first time you demolished a building with a punch? Oh ho, not that I blame them, no," He said with almost a snake-like lisp accompanying his words.

Tsunade could feel a headache forming and her agitation was hard to contain, "Shut the hell up and listen," She told him flatly, barely concealed anger threatening to spill, "My necklace is missing, I need you to find it,"

Hito's eyes lit up at that, "The First Hokage's Necklace? The one said to be worth three gold mines and the mountains they sit in?" He asked with rare enthusiasm.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at that, "Look, you worm, don't go thinking I'll let you off easy if you try and sell it because it isn't dangling from my neck," She ground out, barely above a whisper, "If you so much as think about selling that necklace, I'll kill you before the necklace can!" Her voice escalated, fist clenched.

Hito's perceived confidence seemed to melt away, "Yes, of course." He said obediently, dark eyes shifting - Shizune noted the odd docility that now settled over his character and wondered where all of that snark had gone off to.

"Good," Tsunade said, visibly calming, "Find the necklace, bring it back to me. Simple." She instructed as if the task could be completed within seconds.

"And if I cannot retrieve the necklace once I find it?" He asked, his posture straightening slightly.

"If you're that _useless_ ," Tsunade said with spite, "Tell me where it is and I'll get it myself,"

Hito nodded once, twice, three times, "Now... About the matter of my payment, since this is such a rare and valuable artifact, I'm willing to negotiate-"

"You'll get the usual," She told him without leaving room for argument, "Whether it's rare or valuable, you are retrieving it just as you would any other item, so I won't pay you a cent more, understand?"

Seeing the flaring aura that could become killing intent at any moment, Hito's instincts of self-preservation won out over his greed, "... That is reasonable," He finally returned quietly.

"Good." She settled, grabbing a piece of paper from her pocket and handing it to him, "This is where I'm staying in town. Once you find the necklace, meet me there. I'm not planning to stay long so don't take your time. You'll get paid when either I confirm the information you gave is correct or you bring the necklace back to me," She briefed easily as if the whole exchange was rehearsed.

Hito gave a crooked bow before hobbling off into his dark _place of operations_ , "Always so nice to do business with you, Tsunade- _hime,"_ He said as she turned to leave.

"The opposite goes for you," She said evenly as she left.

* * *

"You're from the future?" Minato asked, no sign of disbelief or even incredulity in his voice. His face was an expressionless mask - When you'd been a shinobi as long as he had, you knew it was important to keep an open mind and keep your emotions under control; more often than not, your opinions didn't matter. Naru was sure, looking at his astute blue eyes, that were almost gray from concentration, that he was running through every conceivable way it could come to pass and thinking of every consequence.

The matter of the clone and her ditching offense earlier was long gone. Neither of them cared that the hour was breaching four in the morning at the moment. Being tired wasn't even a factor right then.

Naru nodded, an equally serious look in her cerulean eyes. Minato was now given a chance to see that unguarded maturity he'd only been able to catch glimpses of before, "I didn't really want to tell you but, essentially, yes." She was surprised her Father hadn't burst out laughing or dismissed these all as childish ramblings.

"How?" Minato questioned simply.

Naru sighed, realizing this would be the hard part. She hesitated a moment before finally speaking, "I am currently the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox in its entirety, I also hold chakra from the eight other Bijuu in existence. Though he didn't disclose to me what exactly the jutsu was, the Kyuubi used it to send me back in time. Or rather, to conceive a new reality. He explained to me that it would play out exactly the same way that my own reality did with slight alterations,"

Minato's mind raced to process this new information - Who claimed to stand before him was not his eleven year old daughter but her twenty-five year old counterpart from an almost-identical reality who was the Seventh Hokage and had taken his wife's place as the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki, "Kushina is the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki," He said calmly, his hands folding over each other on his lap.

Naru brought her fingertips to the back of her head and scratched the soft tresses in a nervous gesture, "To be honest, it's a complicated story," She began, though she was hard-pressed to find her voice when she spoke the next part, "... In my reality, you and Kushina, my Mother, are dead."

Though his heart ached at the thought of his beloved dying, Minato held no qualm about his own death, having accepted it as a possibility when he took up the mantle of a shinobi. His stormy eyes merely looked at her, imploring her to go on.

Her voice began drawling in an attempt to mask the sadness she felt, "On the day I was born, a man named Tobi..." Naru decided it would be best to withhold Tobi's true identity for now, "... kidnapped my Mother and extracted the Nine-Tailed Fox from her, taking control of it to attack Konohagakure. Miraculously, she survived and my Father defeated Tobi, wresting the Fox from his control but the Kyuubi then went on a rampage, destroying the village on its own accord. Both my Father and Mother died sealing Kurama, the Kyuubi, inside of me," She finished.

The ache Minato felt in his chest returned tenfold as she finished her story. Suddenly, he felt like he was suffocating; the guilt was too much. He noticed how Naru had purposely avoided naming him as her Father, as if they were separate entities but he understood clearly. It wasn't _him_ who had sealed the Fox inside his new born daughter but the intention was there - There was no doubt in his mind, given the same situation, that he would've taken the same course of action and that disgusted him. He had always fancied as a man who put himself equal parts of himself into being a shinobi, a father and a husband but hearing Naru's tale, he could see that he left minimal space for his family in the end. When it came down to it, he cared more about his duty than his family - He'd wanted to make himself feel better all this time by telling himself that he could be impartial to both the village and his family but now he could see that one of them had to be neglected to satisfy the other. And he knew which one he would choose.

At this moment, he wanted to grovel before Naru and beg for her forgiveness because that's what she deserved - No, it was less than she deserved. Images of her smiles from the past two days flashed into his mind and he wondered just how strong she had to be to lock away all that pain. He doubted he could ever understand. Being married to the Jinchuuriki also made him acutely aware of how a defenseless, orphaned Jinchuuriki would be treated immediately after an attack that no doubt killed hundreds, or even thousands, of loved ones throughout Konoha.

Naru, noticing the slight furrowing of Minato's brow, gave him a gentle smile, "Hey, don't worry about it. I had a good life even if it started off a bit rough - I achieved my dream of becoming Hokage, I made the best friends anyone could ask for..." She took his hand in hers, laying his palm flat on her own, and just enjoyed the warmth and the faint pulse she could feel without directly touching his wrist, "... And I got to meet my parents in the flesh. I don't resent you in the least. You were just doing what you had to..." she wondered if he should reveal more information but continued anyway, "... as the Fourth Hokage,"

Despite Minato's ceaseless schooling of his features, his cerulean eyes slightly widened as he stared at the place that they were connected. All semblance of disbelief he may have held was thrown out the window by that last utterance - Only himself and the Sandaime should have known about talk of his ascension as the Fourth, not even the Elder Council were aware yet - That could only mean, she truly had come from the future where he had taken the seat as the Hokage, if only briefly. Feeling absolutely dumbfounded, all he could manage was: "What about the alterations?"

"Well..." She began, looking at nowhere in particular pensively, "The only real difference is that I was born fifteen years earlier than I should have been," She told him.

"You're telling me I shouldn't have been a Father until I was 35?"

"Yep. And because I was born earlier, Tobi wasn't around yet to take advantage of the weakened seal and release the Fox, which is why I have parents now," She returned, grinning.

Minato looked regretful, "... But you still have the Kyuubi sealed inside you,"

Naru gave him a soft pat on the back, "Don't look so down!" She said happily, "I know Kurama and Mum never saw eye to eye but he's..." She thought for a second, hoping Kurama wouldn't tease her around being sappy later. Her eyes softened, "He's the one companion who never left me," _Or rather, that I didn't leave behind._

Minato was taken aback, "You and the Fox are friends?"

Naru nodded with a large grin, "We're comrades," She assured him.

Something flickered in Minato's eyes before he smiled softly. All her life, Kushina had hated the Fox and it seemed it was mutual but pride swelled within him, knowing his Daughter had the ability even to bond with the Bijuu. She was truly something special. Then something dawned on him, "If you're here, where's the Naru from this reality?" He asked, wearily. He wanted to avoid saying 'Where's my Naru?' because he was acutely aware of the fact that this was still his daughter and didn't want to upset her.

"About that..." Naru began with a nervous laugh - She didn't know the answer.

 **Brat, I assumed you'd realize it yourself but you merged with the Naru from this time, that's why you got a glimpse of her early memories.**

Seeing Minato's uncharacteristically impatient look, Naru finally spoke, "Okay! Kurama has assured me that nothing bad happened to the Naru from this reality, I simply merged with her. Meaning we're the same person," She spoke, a bit too fast. She hoped her Father would see this as a 'Oh, okay' moment, rather than a 'What the hell do you mean you merged with my daughter? Unmerge right this instant!' moment.

Minato blinked - The Kyuubi had assured her? What an interesting dynamic. "I see," He nodded. Naru noted how this Father was completely different from the one she had been seeing for the past two days - It was the serious persona she had only caught short episodes of over the course of their time together. He gave a nod, "I understand. As long as you're both safe," He agreed.

"Really? Just like that?" She asked, her eyebrow arching in confusion.

Minato looked nonplussed, before smiling, "You're still my daughter, even if you're a little different,"

Naru blinked for awhile before her eyes began to water on their own accord. Her Father had just said, without any prompting, what she had been yearning to hear from him this entire time. The tears fell from the corners of her eyes and left salty trails down her face as she hiccuped.

"You're sure crying a lot for a twenty-five year old," He said before pulling her into a warm hug and rubbing her back in circles.

"Shut up," She grumbled between hiccups but buried her tear-stained face in his shoulder nonetheless, wrapping her arms over his shoulder.

Minato hummed in amusement, allowing her to dampen his shoulder for as long as she needed. He decided, somewhere along the lines of their conversation, that whether his daughter was eleven or twenty-five, he still loved her and he'd protect her even if she didn't need him to anymore. He soothingly hushed her, his other hand coming up to cradle her small head.

Naru mumbled something incoherent into his shoulder and snuggled deeper.

Minato's eyebrow raised curiously, "What was that?"

Naru gave her mouth more room to move and repeated herself: "Thanks, _**Dad**._ " And for now, she decided, she'd just enjoy this familial warmth and keep all of the heavy, sad stuff for later because she just couldn't bring herself to ruin the moment for anything. Not when she finally had a Father.

* * *

"Hey, Uzumaki!" A man yelled, having just saved his red-haired teammate from hitting the ground after she fell from a tree. "Uzumaki, can you hear me?"

Kushina groaned and her hand shot to her stomach - She felt strangely empty. She'd felt fine when she left for her mission but the moment they engaged the enemy and she tried to exercise any semblance of control over her chakra, her body fell limp and exhausted without warning.

"Uzumaki, what's gotten into you?" The same man repeated. She recognized the voice as belonging to her team leader, Kaoru, but she couldn't bring herself to reply.

"How's Uzumaki doin'?" A slightly deep voice that was still obviously a woman rang out. Hikari.

"She's still out of it. Damnit!" Kaoru growled, "If you weren't feeling well, you should have declined the mission," He chastised her, slowly raising her onto his back and having Hikari tie her there with some extra rope they thought to bring along. Kushina knew that he wasn't a bad guy - He would complain, sure, but he wouldn't leave a teammate who was in need.

"Don't be too hard on her, she looked fine when we left," Hikari interjected, tightening the rope to make sure Kushina didn't fall off.

It was just the three of them on this mission - It was only one missing-nin who was barely an A-rank so Hikari and Kaoru had no trouble dispatching him themselves but Kushina felt bad somewhere in the back of her mind as she thought off chakra exhaustion. What the hell was going on, anyway?

The three of them jumped towards the village, Kushina barely concious on Kaoru's back and feeling nauseous from the constant movement.

~Chapter End~

* * *

 **Ending Note:** _Hope you enjoyed that chapter, I wrote it just for you 3 If you liked it, feel free to review, if you didn't like it, then don't review because I'll cry, okay? :'( Anyway, see ya next chapter~_


	5. Team Minato

The next day, Minato's intelligent, albeit slightly tired, eyes watched Kakashi berating Obito for being late and Obito making excuses of black cats and old women and alternate routes for the umpteenth time in the last four years - Somehow, he felt like they would disappear right in front of him. Then he focused on Rin, who was gentle and kind and too young to die. And his daughter's words kept ringing in his mind: _"Around the time Kakashi becomes a Jounin, Obito and Rin will die,"_

His face was one of resolved calm, honed after years of practice, but on the inside, he was in turmoil - As his Sensei, he knew Kakashi's promotion was fast approaching. The specific details weren't exactly known to him since, in the end, it was the decision of the Hokage and Elder Council who is promoted to Jounin and who isn't. It could happen tomorrow or Wednesday, it could even be _today_ and that was a frightening prospect.

"Sensei!" Obito said, outstretching his arm to wave his hand in front of Minato's face.

Minato didn't show any visible recoil at being pulled from his thoughts and focused on Obito, "Sorry, I was thinking," He told him honestly, betraying none of his internal conflict to them.

"Man, I was tryna get your attention for ages!" The young Uchiha said emphatically, a frown on his face.

"It was only a minute. Don't exaggerate," Kakashi said, hmphing at his teammate's immaturity.

"Shut up, Bakashi!" Obito roared.

The silver-haired Chuunin gave him a look that said 'Frankly, I don't care what you say' and crossed his arms, infuriating the older boy.

Before things could become anymore heated and to relieve Rin of her panicked expression, Minato coughed. "We don't have time for that, you two," He said seriously, giving them both pointed looks. "You are proper shinobi now. Being childish isn't an option any longer,"

Obito looked down at his feet, ashamed.

Kakashi looked to the left and thought about how much he disliked that idiot Obito for getting him scolded by Sensei.

Unlike Kakashi, who was ever-brooding and difficult, Obito recovered incredibly quickly. He brightened as he remembered what he was going to say, "Hey, Sensei! I met your daughter yesterday,"

"Is that so?" _So that was where she went off to._ He thought bitterly.

Obito, totally oblivious to the subtle daggers being sent his way by the overprotective Father, continued without qualm, "Yeah!" He said with a big smile, too big if he asked Minato - Exactly, what had him so happy concerning his **only** daughter? "She isn't as cute as you made it sound like she was," He huffed with obvious disappointment.

Minato was stuck between being pleased that Obito didn't find her attractive and appalled that anyone could see his Naru-chan as anything BUT cute. He merely gave him a smile and waved the issue off - There were more important matters to attend to.

"Obito, don't say that! That's rude," Rin interjected, looking cross.

Obito scratched the back of his head, "... Sorry, Rin-chan," He said with a faint blush.

"Idiot," Kakashi uttered lowly, then focused on his Sensei, waiting for the man's instruction.

"Why you-" Obito began, looking ready to fight.

"Why do you two always have to fight?" Rin said matronly, her soft demeanor causing Obito to calm visibly.

"Because he's a jerk," Obito said, far less heated than before.

Rin gave a discrete side glance in Kakashi's direction, "He isn't like that, Obito," She defended, smiling slightly at her crush.

Kakashi didn't seem to notice any of it. "Sensei, when will we begin training?" He urged, though without any noticeable facial expression - He always offered Minato the utmost respect as a Shinobi and Sensei he admired more than anyone and who, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, was the closest thing he had to a Father after Sakumo's suicide.

Minato looked at all of them and nodded, "That's right. We shouldn't waste anymore time." He was aware more than ever after speaking to Naru how important training was at this point, "Firstly, Kakashi. Is it true that you've been working on a new jutsu?" He asked pointedly.

Kakashi's dark orbs widened in surprise for only a moment before he nodded, "How did you know that?"

"I observed you practicing after training," He lied convincingly. Since their training was so early in the morning, and Kakashi was always on time, there was little chance that he would be practicing any time before training, so it was likely that the large margin of 'after training' would be viable. Besides, Kakashi was always training.

Kakashi's eyes turned to slits in momentary suspicion before he nodded, trusting his Sensei, "I was going to show you during our next mission," Kakashi said honestly, a little embarrassed, though no one could tell from underneath his mask. He looked and sounded just as apathetic as always.

"Would you mind showing me now instead?" Minato said seriously, watching with imploring cerulean orbs fixed on the student.

Obito looked on with barely-concealed envy and outrage at the special attention Kakashi was getting. _Stupid Bakashi._ He thought in anger.

Rin enjoyed watching Kakashi doing anything and therefore, had no problem with the silver-haired boy getting special attention from Minato as long as she could see him.

Kakashi seemed slightly disappointed but couldn't deny Minato-sensei. After going through the appropriate hand signs in swift succession, he held out his hand, his arm outstretched and straight, and made his fingers taut almost like claws, his other hand clutched his inner elbow as if to steady it. In an instant, powerful lightning, solid blue, buzzed around his hand. The display created new light and shadows over Kakashi's face that danced as the controlled electricity fluctuated endlessly. "Chidori," He uttered evenly, eyes downcast.

Minato was impressed, to say the least. He appraised the move with his perceptive orbs and picked apart the ability. He could see how what Naru said about it could definitely be true. From the looks of the jutsu, it obviously had amazing piercing power but Kakashi definitely wouldn't be able to control an ability like that easily. It was at least an A-rank jutsu and the fact that someone so young had created it proved his esteemed genius. It would require immense control and chakra.

 _"Due to possessing the Sharingan in my time, Kakashi-sensei managed to overcome the drawbacks of the Chidori - Originally, you forbade him from using the technique because it's execution speed was so fast that the user is forced to use it in a straight line, leaving them vulnerable to counter-attack."_ Naru had informed him, basing it off the small bits of information Kakashi had disclosed about his youth. At first, he had been in awe at the fact that Kakashi, who wasn't even remotely related to the Uchiha Clan, managed to possess the Sharingan and was again saddened to know that it belonged to Obito.

Obito was stunned and embittered at the display, dark eyes wide. It was _always_ Kakashi - That's how he felt. No matter what Obito did, he could never catch up to Kakashi because he was a genius and Obito couldn't even use his Sharingan yet - He was a failure to the Uchiha Clan and everyone knew it. He let out a sigh that was barely audible over the sound of the Chidori.

Rin was beyond impressed. Her feelings for the young Hatake amplified with every pulse of the lightning jutsu - She knew he was powerful but this was incredible - It was beyond expectations and that was saying something, since she (and everyone else) certainly had high expectations for the silver-haired prodigy.

Minato noticed how easily Kakashi exhibited consistent control over the jutsu and nodded as if considering its usefulness, though he already knew he would have to warn against it before their next mission. He gestured towards one of the nearby training dummies, "Demonstrate on that," He ordered. Honestly, it made no difference whether the jutsu was a success or failure, Minato would forbid the use of it in the end - He merely needed to justify his reasoning with a demonstration in order to reduce resistance from Kakashi.

Kakashi obeyed immediately, rushing towards the dummy at full force. Minato observed how well Kakashi moved; not a single movement was wasted, which conserved both time and energy, making him exponentially faster than the average person - He also noticed the flaw that Naru had warned him about. While Kakashi's body naturally flowed with the Chidori, his eyes were incapable of keeping up with the speed and therefore, he was unable to make any moves outside of a direct tunnel in front of him, which would likely get him killed. When the Chidori met the training dummy, the inanimate victim met an unfortunate end as it was quickly impaled and its midsection burnt to ash.

"That was so cool," Rin uttered quietly.

Obito chewed his bottom lip and sent a glare at Kakashi, which was promptly ignored. _Stupid jerk._

Minato nodded without any of his thoughts showing, "It's an impressive jutsu," He conceded, "But I can't allow you to use it," He told him bluntly. If there was one thing he was good at, it was telling people the truth even if it disappointed them.

Kakashi's eyes widened at that, "Minato-sensei, I don't see what you mean. You saw how powerful it was. Why can't I use it?" He spoke, almost hysterical. He had recently perfected it and had been beyond excited to show his mentor but this wasn't what he was expecting.

Minato sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm sorry, Kakashi but that jutsu is too dangerous. You can't avoid oncoming attacks if you can only go in a straight line," He told him without a hint of giving in.

Obito did a mental happy dance, watching the genius Kakashi Hatake squirm. _Take that!_

Kakashi inwardly cursed. Now it was his turn to chew at his lip. He was hoping Minato wouldn't notice but he had been a fool to think the astute Yellow Flash wouldn't see such an obvious flaw, "But Minato-sensei, if I just-"

"Kakashi," Minato spoke resolutely, blue eyes looking down on Kakashi with a quiet intensity, "No matter how hard you work, your eyes will never be fast enough to keep up with that attack - That's something we both know, isn't it?" He sent a discrete glance at Obito but quickly returned before anyone noticed.

Seeing Kakashi's dejected state, the usually-quiet Rin stepped in, "Minato-sensei, that can't be! He worked so hard on that jutsu,"

"It's fine to have feelings for someone," He spoke in a tone that always quieted his students, "But don't let that get in the way of your duties as a Shinobi. If I allowed Kakashi to use that jutsu, he would be putting himself and the team in danger." He insisted.

Rin bowed her head in silent apology, moving away from the Jounin. A slight, embarrassed blush painted her cheeks as she thought about how bluntly Minato had referred to her crush on Kakashi, "Yes, sir," She mumbled, almost inaudible.

Obito wanted to speak up - to comfort her or to confront Minato-sensei for his insensitive way of speaking to her but no words came out. He respected Minato more than anyone knew and deep down, he knew that Minato was right - His Sensei always spoke in a straight-forward manner like that because he was a professional; he was someone who every shinobi should strive to be like. And Rin, well, he couldn't speak to her because he plainly didn't know what to say. So he just kept quiet, as unlike him as that was.

After a few minutes, Kakashi simply nodded, returning to his taciturn self, "I understand, Minato-sensei. You're right," He said with perceived-apathy, watching his hand that had previously held the Chidori intently, an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

* * *

Naruto was _conveniently_ near the training ground where Team Minato were to meet that day. After talking to her Father for most the night, her eyelids felt quite heavy but she was a shinobi, so it wasn't unusual for her to skip a night or two of sleep - Although, if she was being honest, she had been consistently getting a good night's rest since she had ascended as Hokage on account of her mundane job. There was no emergency action that she had to stay up for - There was an early morning start on paperwork and meetings that required a well-rested Naruto, though. She, maybe, held the hope that she would be able to train with the rest of them, which was why she was wearing her new orange and black jumpsuit and shinobi sandals.

She put on a happy smile and ran up to the tall, blonde figure, who was undoubtedly her Father, "Hey! Fancy meeting you here, 'ttebayo," She said, rather unnaturally, as she landed beside him on the balls of her feet. She looked around at the three somber students standing around, "Woah, what's with this atmosphere? It's really tense. Is it a bad time?" She spoke, more to herself.

Minato's students watched in horror as their Sensei's personality took a total 180 degree turn, "Naru-chan? What are you doing here?" He asked softly, looking down at her.

'Naru-chan' gave a nervous laugh, scratching her cheek with an index finger while looking away, "Well, you know, I was in the area... Thought I'd stop by. Yeah, that's it. Just a coincidence," She said, afraid to meet his adoring gaze. She didn't think it was possible but since revealing her identity, and subsequently her rather troubled childhood, Minato had become even _more_ doting. He didn't even want to go to training this morning, saying that he'd rather spend all day with her. She went through great pains to get him out of the house on time.

"Ah! Naruto-chan, it's you!" Obito said energetically, pointing at her.

"That's me, dattebayo!" She said proudly, waving at him. She thought, maybe, she should start appreciating the name her parents and beloved Pervy Sage had come up with for her and didn't bother correcting him.

Obito ran up to her, "What are you doing here?" He asked. He gave a strange, assessing look to his teacher, wondering where the heavy demeanor from before had scurried off to.

Minato inched towards them, not-so-subtly placing himself between the two.

Naruto sighed and leaned over to look around her wall/Father, "Like I said, just a coincidence... Haha," he assured him in her most innocent voice, letting out a nervous laugh at the end. "Dad, could you move?" Addressing him as Dad had somehow become a habit between four in the morning and now.

Minato pretended not to hear her.

"Dad, seriously," She said, "I'm trying to have a conversation over here," She explained as if he wasn't already aware. He was also aware that Obito was male and Naru-chan was incredibly cute and there would be no fraternizing while he was still breathing.

Rin came up to the two and smiled warmly, "Naruto-chan? Sensei talks about you all the time. I'm Rin Nohara. Nice to meet you," She said in a kind voice.

Naruto watched for a bit before smiling, "Nice to meet you, too, 'ttebayo," There may be some similarities between Obito and Kakashi and Sasuke and Naruto in their younger years but Rin was nothing like Sakura at that point. Naruto could see the motherly, caring nature that fluttered in her brown orbs - She was perfect as a medic-nin from the beginning. Even with her feelings for Kakashi, she didn't disregard anyone.

"Man, Minato-sensei, you're one of _those_ Dads, huh?" Obito asked rhetorically with the slightest hint of disgust in his voice.

Minato's eyes focused on the boy, "Shouldn't you be training, Obito?" He said, almost coldly.

"You haven't assigned us any training exercises yet!" He bellowed indignantly, meeting the man's eyes fearlessly.

Minato coughed, looking over at Rin, who was enjoying talking to Naruto, and Kakashi, who was tapping his foot in impatience. "Right, yes. Obito, I want you to improve your accuracy with shuriken. Kakashi, I'll have you spar with me. Rin, work on chakra control," He spoke in a commanding tone.

Obito gave him a displeased stare, "Sensei! Every day you make me practice with shuriken and you spar with Kakashi! It isn't fair," He whined.

Naruto looked over after Rin departed to do as her Sensei had commanded and frowned, feeling bad for Obito.

"Kakashi is already well-versed in both shurikenjutsu and chakra control, as well as taijutsu and ninjutsu," Minato said bluntly, oblivious to what his esteem of Kakashi's abilities did to Obito, "The only way for him to improve is to gather combat experience which is why I spar with him, Obito. You, on the other hand, have good accuracy with kunai but have trouble distributing force with shuriken which makes them go off in strange angles." He continued matter-of-factly.

Naruto could understand the logic but inwardly cringed at the fact that her Father pulled no punches. He really was different around other people. She was just lucky she was his daughter, otherwise he'd be scary.

* * *

Kakashi had never met his Sensei's daughter before. He assumed she would be a smart and graceful girl but instead stood a chibi of a girl wearing an obnoxiously orange jumpsuit with a wide grin on her face. He shuddered to think his renowned Sensei had _spawned_ anything remotely similar to Obito. Then again, he could see Kushina clearly in her - The hair was definitely Kushina's, even if it was blonde like Minato's, the same goes for the shape of her eyes - Not sharp like her Father's but rounded and childish like her Mother's. And that loud grin and personality also belonged to Kushina. Besides her obvious physical resemblance, this 'Naruto' didn't show many similarities to his Sensei. The worst part was that his Sensei looked completely enamored by the tiny gremlin.

And then, to Kakashi's utter horror, he had watched his Sensei turn from the serious, infinitely-wise Yellow Flash to a pile of mush in 0.5 seconds following her appearance. It really projected him in a new light for him, to say the least. To say the most, Kakashi was wondering if his Sensei had some sort of personality disorder and, more importantly, which one was the real one?

For the sake of his sanity, he convinced himself that the one he knew was _definitely_ the real one because there was no way that his revered teacher was wrapped around the finger of a little girl - That was just plain ridiculous.

For her part in disturbing his training, he sent a hateful glare at her, though he feared what would happen to him if his Sensei saw him doing so in the back of his mind. Still, he was stubborn and wouldn't listen to that nagging voice telling him to stop. To his utter surprise, the chibi turned around and _returned_ the glare full-force - An imaginary spark of electricity shot between them. To say he was surprised was an understatement, no girl had _ever_ been able to meet his eyes without blushing, forget sharply returning the look.

Then, as if the intense staring match had never happened, she took a deep breath and smiled at him - There was an unexplained fondness in her blue orbs that confused him to no end. It wasn't the adoring stare of his (many) fan girls nor was it the shy affection Rin looked at him with. It was, what he imagined to be, the spark of happiness in one's eye when they're reunited with a friend from the past. He stood frozen, even after hearing his Sensei telling him that they would be sparring, as she approached him.

"Hey, you're Kakashi, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto," the chibi greeted warmly, ignoring Minato's pleas of 'Naru-chan, where are you going? Stay away from him!'

"Hmph," He said pompously at a loss for what to say. Obviously saying, 'Hello, my name's Kakashi Hatake. Nice to meet you, too' was out of the question because he had an image to keep up, alright? None of that common decency stuff.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "What an annoying kid," She muttered under her breath, though Kakashi still heard it.

Kakashi allowed his eyebrow to twitch in agitation as well, looking down at the shorter girl, "Don't act like you're older than me," He said coldly.

"Oh, but I am older than you. I'm eleven, _kid,_ " She said smugly, crossing her arms in front of her in triumph. Truthfully, she was twenty-five but looking at her now, no one would believe that.

His eyes narrowed but he couldn't deny that she was, indeed, older than him, who was nine. He instead decided to ignore her completely and walked towards Minato. Remember, a Shinobi must keep their emotions in check no matter what the circumstances.

Minato had a secretive but pleased glint in his eye that the conversation between Kakashi and Naruto ended quickly.

"Don't ignore me, stupid, 'ttebayo!" She yelled at him, poking out her tongue childishly. She earned a mix of amusement and disbelief from her stoic Father as he remembered her status in her own reality - It was almost impossible to believe.

Rin all but gaped at her loud order and secretly envied the confidence to talk to Kakashi like that.

Obito snickered behind his hand, though that wasn't hiding anything from anyone since his shoulders were quaking like crazy.

Kakashi, though he didn't know why, turned back around instead of forgetting she existed like he usually did, "Who do you think you're calling stupid? Idiot." He retorted, though he didn't seem any more mature than her.

"Takes one to know one," She said back to him, their eyes locking intently. Dark clashed with bright blue in a battle of - Well, a battle of something. Certainly not wits.

Minato coughed, "Naruto, as much as I enjoy seeing you, this is a training session. I'd like to start training," He said calmly, staring at her.

Naruto suddenly felt like she had been scolded but she was probably just being too sensitive because he had always kept such a frivolous tone with her, "Sorry," She said quickly before retreating to stand next to him. In truth, she had tried to emulate her self at eleven to keep Kakashi at ease - If an eleven year old spoke like an adult, well, it would be strange. She felt the slightest pang of guilt as a little voice in her head reminded her that Kakashi wasn't Sasuke, even if they were similar in their younger years, as she, admittedly, had been thinking about how arguing is the way to have a _person like Kakashi_ (read: Sasuke) warm up to you.

Minato took slow, deliberate steps towards the middle of a circle dirt patch, which would serve as an impromptu ring, "Come here, Kakashi," He said to the silver-haired boy.

Kakashi briskly walked, still retaining that pompous air, into the circle and stood opposite his teacher. He wasn't discouraged in the least by their colossal difference in both height and experience, though he recognized he probably won't be able to surpass his Sensei in this lifetime. Both he and Minato bowed to each other before he took up his stance.

Naruto noted with an expert eye the merits in both of their stances. Minato's held a relaxed feeling that could put an inexperienced opponent at ease, his arms slightly swaying and protecting the lower half of his torso as opposed to his face, but as someone who learned through battle, Naruto could see how sharply and quickly this stance could weave through attacks and break defenses - It gave much the same vibe as Lee's drunken fist, relying on pure speed, which she knew her Father had in droves. Kakashi's wasn't anything to scoff at either and reflected his current character well - Someone who stuck to the basics but could adapt them to the situation at hand. Unlike Minato, he did protect his face which was a much more obvious stance but allowed for protection when the opponent's speed was hard to match. His arms had a strong position but weren't rigid in the sense that they lacked flexibility - This stance was particularly useful against larger opponents as it prioritized defense. She nodded approvingly at the two before settling down onto the grass, a little disappointed that it didn't seem like she would be training but respecting the fact that her Father had to focus solely on the team he was put in charge of and couldn't be caught showing nepotism.

Obito begrudgingly reached into his weapons pouch for his shiruken. His conviction to bettering himself, despite his previous opposition, was admirable as he focused whole-heartedly on the task at hand, even though he desperately wanted to watch the spar. His dark eyes sharpened as he tried to polish his accuracy. He spread his fingers evenly over most of the weapon and two fingers together on the side that he wanted the most force to go into. He cursed as he continued to missed the target. If only he had his Sharingan.

Kakashi found himself hard pressed to break through his Sensei's defenses, although he knew Minato was going beyond easy on him. Kakashi's style of fighting included putting both force and speed into every strike but Minato was even faster, even though he never used his Hiraishin or the like during their sparring matches. After about fifteen minutes of fighting, Kakashi could already feel himself becoming tired, his breathing labored - Anyone his age wouldn't last this long or tax him this much.

"Your legs have no excess movement," Minato commented without any sign of his strength waning, blocking and slipping past Kakashi's hits effortlessly, "You need to apply the same level of skill into your attacks. You're using too much energy with wasted movements while you should be using the bare minimum,"

Kakashi absently nodded, soaking in the knowledge. He obviously couldn't apply the teachings right that second, although Shinobi have been known to improve during a one-sided battle before. He would train longer and harder to work on his excessive movements once team training was over. He fended off a particularly-forceful hit from Minato with one arm while he retrieved a kunai with the other. Though the difference was small, the kunai increased his reach and the damage his hits would cause once they make contact.

Naruto watched, enthralled, as the two danced around each other - Sometimes clashing, sometimes Kakashi would test the waters with disjointed attacks and hang back when he seemed to be at a disadvantage. She noted with interest how agile Kakashi was, his lithe form swerving in the heat of battle without any lack of concentration, completely focused on Minato - She had noticed this same resolve when the Kakashi of her time had faced off against Kakuzu. However, that wasn't completely true, as he was painfully aware of the two, cerulean orbs observing him critically from the sidelines. Why he cared, he didn't know.

"Alright, we'll stop there for today," Minato finally said after what seemed like an hour of straight fighting.

Kakashi agreed sincerely and bent over, holding his knees to steady himself while sucking in air greedily.

After having just sat there and watched them, Naruto was motivated to do something herself. She found a training dummy nearby and decided to leave the two to their training, "I'm going over there, Dad." She quickly told Minato before sprinting away.

He smiled as she left and gave a small wave.

Kakashi was amazed at how expressive his Sensei could be when he wanted to - Or perhaps, he didn't want to but it was a paternal reaction he couldn't suppress. Either way, it was surprising. His eyes followed the chibi setting herself up in front of the dummy with interest. Maybe behind that childish personality was prodigal talent and honed skills?

Naruto lined herself up in front of the training dummy and immediately dashed Kakashi's hopes of his Sensei's daughter having any merit at all as a Shinobi - She lashed out with a kick but ended up lying in the dirt on her side because she jumped and missed the target completely. She looked as though she had greatly overestimated the length of her legs. She same thing happened with her punches - It was as if she wasn't used to her own body. She cursed. She was relying on muscle memory because, in her adult form, she had finally found a style of fighting that worked well for her but sadly, her adult self was 180 centimeters tall and her child self was lucky if she was even 142 centimeters.

Come to think of it, Kakashi hadn't seen a hitai-ate...

Minato went around to check on Obito but was caught between his duty as a teacher and his love for his daughter as he saw her grovelling in the dirt due to obvious difficulties with taijutsu. He swallowed and sent a mental apology to her before continuing to where the young Uchiha who was miffed over his inability to hit the target, "Obito." He called from behind him.

Obito jumped in surprise, "Oh, it's you, Minato-sensei. Don't sneak up on me like that," He said before staring at the shiruken in his hand with clear disdain.

Minato decided to ignore the urge to tell him a Shinobi shouldn't be so easily rattled, "Have you tried pouring chakra into the shuriken?" He asked, leaning over the boy slightly.

Obito looked at him, imploring him to explain.

"If you put chakra into the shuriken, just a small amount, it will increase the power behind it and you can more easily dictate which direction you want it to go in using the added momentum," He took one of the small stars from his hands and demonstrated - He could do it in an instant but instead, allowed Obito to see him infusing his chakra into the palm of his hand before throwing the shiruken, which briefly displayed a stream of blue pushing it forward. It hit the target square on.

Decidedly over his earlier bitterness over his Sensei's inclination to spar personally with Kakashi only, he gave him a bright smile, "Wow, thanks, Minato-sensei!" He exclaimed happily.

"Don't thank me until you know you can do it," Minato returned passively.

Obito nodded resolutely. His face twisted into that of pure concentration as he used his small semblance of chakra control to send it flowing into his hand, when he was sure it was there, he copied Minato and threw. The small burst of chakra sent it forward, though not nearly as fast as Minato's, and it went in the desired direction. Obito found, with slight disappointment, that it hit the target but didn't get the middle like Minato's had.

Minato patted Obito on the shoulder, "Good work. Keep practicing like that and you can improve your chakra control while you're at it,"

Obito puffed his chest out proudly as his Sensei walked away.

Rin sat a few meters away working on her chakra control - She had already become quite good at it but as a medic-nin, her control needed to be at the peak of what it could be. If a medic-nin was unable to channel chakra quickly and effectively into the area of concern, it could mean the death of a Shinobi out on the field - This was something Minato was acutely aware of, having been a Shinobi for much of his life now. He watched her for a moment before nodding. He couldn't teach her much else since he wasn't a healer type but he had shown her the basics and hoped she would soon find a teacher who could help her understand better. That is, if she lived long enough.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still trying to get used to this new body but it was really putting her off. How could she do anything with her short arms and legs, small hands and feet, and tiny knuckles? She knew she had done it before but that didn't mean it ever go any easier, especially when she was used to her older, well-trained body which her fighting style had been made to fit. She sighed, thinking she'd probably have to come up with a new style until she was at least a teenager and her height was at a bearable level.

* * *

Kushina groaned, feeling herself pressed against a sturdy back. Her violet eyes slowly opened to see trees passing by her.

"Uzumaki, you awake?" Kaoru's voice filled the quiet forest, not even birds were chirping, which was odd.

"Yeah," Kushina somehow dragged out. She felt like her chakra was absolute zero, which was rare - She can't remember a time where her chakra reserves weren't enough and she hadn't even used more than a little of it that she knew of. However, she was sure she could feel some chakra but it wasn't able to move through her body as per usual.

"What's goin' on with you, Kushina?" came Hikari's tomboyish voice. She had a concerned look on her face as she looked at her long-time friend. They had been on the same team long enough to be on a first name basis.

"Don't know," She said drearily, feeling the constricting ropes more clearly than ever. She groaned, "Feels like... something's wrong with my coils,"

Hikari looked shocked at her friend - Not only because of the comment about her chakra coils but also because of the barely-there way she spoke; all of her fiery mannerisms were absent at that moment.

Kaoru finally spoke after merely listening for a while, "If it's to do with your chakra coils, we better hurry up,"

Hikari nodded at him, "You're right,"

They both sped off even faster and Kushina began to feel hazy again, she briefly acknowledged Kaoru commenting on how it would take another day before they reached the village with Kushina in her current condition before falling back into unconsciousness.

"She's out again," Hikari commented, increasing her pace slightly.

Kaoru noted that Kushina felt as though she weighed nothing and easily emulated Hikari's speed, "Hopefully it isn't too serious," He said grimly.

"Agreed," Hikari said simply, looking determinedly in the direction of Konoha.

~Chapter End~

* * *

 **Ending Note:** Naruto and Kakashi have finally met but the meeting wasn't so great or long, huh? :c (That's what she said, ha ha ha)

Anyway, don't worry, there will be more interaction but it _does_ say **Eventual** Fem!Naru/Kakashi ;) Honestly, I always have a habit of rushing romances when I know they need to develop first so I'm trying extra special hard to give it development.

And le gasp! What is happening to Kushina-chan? Honestly, that's my shitty attempt at mystery but I'm sure it's obvious :P


	6. Confronting Past Lives

**Author's Note:** _Yo! Lovely seeing you again ;) The reviews you guys are giving me are lovely and I enjoy getting them, so thank you ^^ At the moment, there's a slight issue with them not showing up on fanfiction but I'm sure it'll work itself out - I can still read them on my email. I'm really motivated to write at the moment, so here's an extra long chapter c:  
_

 _Also, I never imagined the possibility that you guys could mistake the problems Kushina is having for a child! Haha :P Guess that goes to show how limited my angles of thought are. However, Kurama explained that Kushina is infertile in the first chapter, though I know it's hard to remember every detail of a story when you're waiting for updates :P Don't worry guys, I really like the idea of Naruto being an only child and god knows, she deserves the attention!_

* * *

 _"We did it!" A small blonde girl whooped, sitting on the very top of a tree with a smile that's brightness could rival the sun. The smile didn't fade even as she inspected her battered clothes, the unpleasant splotches of discolored bruising on her skin or picked the leaves from her sun-kissed hair. Not even as she heaved for breath and her legs **ached** because frankly, she didn't care one bit. They had done it. It had taken all night but they had done it. _

_Her companion, a raven-haired boy, sat in an almost identical fashion on a tree next to her. The corners of his mouth upturned only slightly in a quiet smile, "We did," He agreed, dark eyes watching her. His condition wasn't much better than hers but he still drew in short, ragged breaths without much visible strain. "Let's go back," He said simply._

 _She looked at him, blinked, then nodded. If ever it was possible, her smile widened as it found her team mate. They both landed on the ground at the same time but her legs were wobbly, "Man, teme. That sure was hard! I'm glad I asked Sakura-chan for help," She spoke after a minute of silence - Too long if you asked her._

 _With the faintest blush, one Naruto would never notice, Sasuke offered his shoulder for her to lean on, "Whatever, dobe," He said coolly, hoisting the girl's weight onto his side._

 _Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she grinned again - Not even Sasuke's sour-puss personality could ruin this for her. Somehow or another, they had both managed to walk up a tree using chakra alone, even if it had taken some time and a bit of help. She wasn't beyond being grateful for his help either but she wasn't about to admit that._

 _They walked in silence for a while, making the girl squirm - Sasuke and Naruto spent a lot of time, some might say too much time, together but neither could explain their quiet fondness of each other when their personalities were like fire and water, light and dark; complete opposites. Then Sasuke stopped and by extension, so did Naruto a second later._

 _"Hey, what's going on, teme?" She asked curiously, no malice, blue eyes focused on him - Even in the dimly-lit forest, the bright orbs' color didn't lose any of its hue._

 _"Nothing," Sasuke said quickly, dark eyes averted._

 _Naruto looks confused but decides she'd rather not make a big deal over something Sasuke didn't want to talk about since everyone knows they could both be just as stubborn as each other and she was just too tired, besides Sasuke was always tight-lipped about something or other. She makes a move to begin their journey again but is perplexed to find Sasuke doesn't wish to._

 _Sasuke's eyes are downcast which is a rare sight because his pride almost always makes him stand up tall and look straight ahead. His eyes slowly rise and meet those of his best friend, "I'm not sure I'm ready to go back yet," He says, a ghost of a smile on his lips, though Naruto has no proof of it actually existing._

 _"What are you talking about, teme? Did you hit your head?" She asked, her eyebrows raised in uneven, questioning arches._

 _Sasuke just shakes his head, one sharp motion - as always, efficient - but otherwise remains silent._

 _Naruto's eyebrows twitch now in mild annoyance. Her legs are weak but her determination is still as strong as ever - She decides that, if the teme isn't going to move himself, then she'd do it for him - She was so hungry, she felt like she would die. There was a speck of drool forming at the corner of her mouth as she imagined just **drowning herself** in the savory heaven that was miso ramen from Ichiraku. Somehow still using him as a support, while feeling slightly bitter at how sturdy he remains, she begins the hard trek of dragging her indecisive team mate back to Tazuna's house._

 _Without any noticeable expression, Sasuke's arm that's looped around her back grips her side harder and if Naruto was more aware of her status as a female or had any assets worth worrying over, she'd be offended that a male was now holding her in such a way that half his fingers were over her right breast._

 _Instead Naruto just blinks and gives him her best questioning look, her temper beginning to flare, "Look, teme! I'm hungry, I want to get back to Tazuna's house. If you don't want to help me then don't! Just don't get in my way, 'ttebayo!"_

 _The young Uchiha's dark eyes sharpen as he looks at her and he secretly gnaws at his bottom lip while staring at hers but he won't act on it because it's the dobe and that's disgusting and he wasn't sure what he was doing right now but somehow his lips were on hers and it felt great and he didn't want to pull away._

 _It's Naruto who flails, eyes wide, and finds the strength to push him away after a mere second or two, making them both stumble slightly, though Sasuke regains his footing quickly, "Teme!" She **screeches.**_

 _But he just grins and begins walking and hides the fact that inside he wants to die because he acted on something that was so completely **wrong** and now he knew the dobe didn't taste like ramen but like the peach they had for lunch and her lips were oh-so-soft and he couldn't deny that he wanted to do it again.  
_

 _Naruto starts flailing again but finds she's weak against his grip and wonders where all of his strength comes from when she's absolutely exhausted. Just another reason she had to train harder to match the natural genius that was the last surviving Uchiha (officially, though unofficially there were three)._

 _Sasuke pulls himself from his thoughts and looks at her with some unfamiliar emotion clear in his coal eyes, "Naru," He says simply - No 'dobe', no 'usuratonkachi' but Naru. His voice is barely above a whisper and comes out like the soothing caress of the wind._

 _Naruto isn't sure where she learned such poetic analogies but decides that she whole-heartedly agrees with the idea. Unable to slow the slight (read: rapid) thumping in her chest, she settles into Sasuke's grip because she can't support herself and if she yells again, her voice might squeak from the array of emotions she feels, so she decides she'll let him get away with it this time to save herself some embarrassment. But next time, he was dead._

 _Now that ghost of a smile only briefly seen by Naruto is alive and breathing on Sasuke's face, though its still quiet and nondescript as they continue their walk._

* * *

Naruto woke with a start, her blonde locks working hard to keep up with the swift motion. She scowled; "Why the hell am I thinking about that teme?" She growled to herself. She looked at the clock in her room; it was still morning but just barely, close to noon. She wonders when she had become so comfortable that she was able to over-sleep so badly like she did in her younger days.

She shrugs; this is her home now, after all.

For the first time since she arrived in this time, she wasn't woken up early in the morning nor had either of her parents come in shortly after she awoke. Kushina was understandable - She was out on a mission, though today should be the day she returns. Maybe, Minato just wasn't home. The thought was a bit lonely to Naruto, in all honesty - She had grown used to the man's presence in the mornings; eating and talking together at the table but she understood more than most how pressing being a Hokage candidate actually was; it was nothing short of a miracle that he actually had an entire weekend off-duty.

She left her room in her pajamas, wondering how long it will be before Minato becomes the Yondaime - The time limit from here was four years since he was definitely Hokage during the Nine-Tails attack but the time of his ascension isn't actually public knowledge, even as the Seventh Hokage, she didn't know. She supposed it wasn't a particularly long term, over all.

She plopped herself on the couch and let out a deep sigh, leaning completely on the back. The house sure looked big without Minato and Kushina around - The quiet reminded her alot of her old home in her time; she wondered how she had become so accustomed to the company in the short span of a few days, when she had never truly gotten used to being alone over her twenty-five years of life. Well... She wasn't completely alone, she had so many great friends, but when all is said and done, everyone returns to their respective homes and she couldn't stifle the loneliness she felt when that time came.

She closed her eyes and felt that familiar ache; she had dreamed of Sasuke. She had no idea why but it had happened. That was their first kiss (she didn't count the one in the Academy) - It had taken her years to accept that the reason she hadn't fought back wasn't because she was tired or had trouble standing by herself, it was because, plainly, she hadn't minded at all. Because there was no way in hell that Naruto Uzumaki would have accepted anything she didn't like, especially from the teme, without a fight.

Her stomach growls and she assumes that it's fine if she goes to the kitchen to get something to eat. She opened the fridge and there were numerous _green_ vegetables staring back at her - She groaned and closed the fridge a little too quickly, the hinges painfully squeaking. She decided those _things_ wouldn't sate her hunger anyway and moved on to the cupboard - They didn't have instant ramen here. Damnit! The only thing she knew how to cook was rice. She looked to her left and sitting on the counter top was a neatly-printed note, the handwriting familiar:

 _Naru-chan,_

 _Hokage-sama wished to meet with me this morning and I won't be home until the late afternoon. Feel free to eat anything you want._

 _Don't meet with Obito while I'm gone._

 _Dad._

She held the note and looked at it with incredulity clear in her cerulean eyes; even when writing short notes, he was an overprotective old man. She snorted and put the note back, a small smile on her lips. She decided if she couldn't cook anything here then she'd just leave the cooking to Teuchi.

She went to her room and pulled on her outfit - It was almost identical to the one she wore as a genin, bright orange with small hints of blue and white littered across the garments. She fitted herself into a black tank top and zipped the orange jacket all the way up - Unlike before, the jacket was made to fit her, rather than being baggy around the collar and torso. Instead of the orange pants she used to wear, she had knee-length shorts that were straightly-cuffed at the bottoms. She strapped her blue weapons pouch mid-thigh and gave herself a thumbs up in the mirror, though it felt a bit off without the leaf hitai-ate to mark her allegiance. No matter though, she'd have it soon enough and all would be well again! She nodded approvingly, seeing as there were about four identical jumpsuits hung in the closet.

She briefly lingered on her reflection - She had only been a little taller than this when Sasuke kissed her in the Land of Waves, otherwise she looked exactly like her twelve year old self. She brought her hand to her face and softly touched the subtle jawline that still had baby-fat covering it, giving her a rounded face. She gave a nostalgic smile, remembering it being one of those insecurities little girls tended to have, especially when Sakura had a well-defined face even before they reached this age.

Kurama prepared to say something but was stopped when Naruto quickly shook her head, "No more thinking about Sasuke! I won't be seeing that Sasuke again and I can't be in love with someone who isn't even conceived yet, that's weird," She said positively.

A low chuckle resounded within her. **Do you enjoy talking to yourself, brat?**

"You listened to that?" She asked, though she wasn't in the least embarrassed - There were times where she would consciously make an effort to block out the Kyuubi from seeing something (i.e. private time) but otherwise, she let him see as he wished to. She gathered her blonde stresses into a high ponytail with practiced ease and left uneven bangs at the forefront, the left side having more hair than the right.

 **I did.** He affirmed and after a moment, spoke again: **What are you doing?**

Naruto rummaged through the dresser, blindly grabbing for something, "I don't have any money for ramen." She said simply.

 **You're stealing it, brat?**

Naru sputtered, "Stealing? It's _my_ money. We _merged,_ remember?" She told him defensively, continuing her search.

Kurama scoffed. **Whatever makes you feel better about it, brat.**

"Just shut up," She told him with a frown. Her hand found something promising and pulled it out, "Uh-huh!" She yelled out as if she had just invented something new and innovative. She opened the wallet and found a few bills, enough for about four bowls of ramen. "Oh man, today's my lucky day!" She said happily as she skipped towards the door.

 **Do you have time to be so carefree?**

 _Don't worry, I already know. Dad said he's got a meeting with the Hokage that probably means he's either being briefed on the Kannabi Bridge mission or he's being told to go to the Front Lines._ She was now thinking her replies to Kurama as they were out on the street. She tried to ignore the slight anxiety that rose from the knowledge of her Father going to the Front Lines - She knew he came back but who knows? Nothing was for certain the same anymore. _Maybe, both._

 **Why aren't you working on a plan then?  
**

 _I've already thought about it. Don't be such a worrywart. As a general rule, a team assigned to a mission should only be accompanied by the members of said team. However, if I work it out with my Father, I can supervise the mission from the shadows until I need to intervene, since he can't actually turn down an order from the Hokage to go to the Front Lines.  
_

 **Yes but, as we saw yesterday, your taijutsu is appalling. Besides, you haven't even ascertained the level of skill your child body has with ninjutsu or senjutsu.**

 _I know! I know! Damn. I don't have time to fix my taijutsu yet but I can feel that our chakra reserves are the same and I still have my connection with Mount Myoboku. I was going to ask Dad to set up a seal barrier to hide chakra so the two of us could practice our co-ordination and sage mode without being sensed from a country away.  
_

 **I assure you, there isn't a human other than you in existence that can sense chakra signatures from countries away.  
**

A feeling of pride swelled within her as she let out a proud snort, which earned her a few questioning looks from the surrounding foot traffic. _Well, in any case, Pervy Sage can probably sense when someone is using sage mode since he's been at it so long - It could be troublesome if he comes to the village to search for another senjutsu user while I'm still finding my own here. Besides, even if I use my own chakra alone to perform jutsu like the Rasengan, people will question how someone who isn't even an Academy Student can do that - I can't practice in the house in case this body doesn't have sufficient control over it and it damages the place. My Mother isn't the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero for nothing, you know.  
_

 **I see even a stupid brat like you thinks ahead at times.  
**

 _You really piss me off sometimes, Kurama.  
_

 **Yes, it's become a hobby I'm rather fond of over the last decade.**

 _Are you picking a fight?  
_

 **I assure you, I would win.  
**

 _Oh, yeah? Bring it on then!  
_

 **I don't intend to stoop to your level, brat.  
**

 _Sounds like you're scared, though._

 **Have you grown up at all over this past decade?  
**

 _Yeah, I have. If I was still the same, I'd be in my mindscape kicking your fluffy ass right now.  
_

Kurama let out a growl but otherwise, said nothing.

Before Naruto could continue the conversation with the fox, a feminine but wholly-unfamiliar voice reached her ears, "Naruto-chan? It's you, isn't it?"

The blonde girl stopped and looked above, standing about twenty centimeters taller than her was a carbon copy of Sasuke. She managed to keep her eyes from widening but inside, she was reeling from the shock. She gave an uneasy smile out of politeness and to avoid seeming strange. "Hello," She greeted politely.

The raven-haired woman seemed to understand as she gave a warm smile, "It's me, Mikoto Uchiha. I'm a good friend of your Mother's. I understand if you don't remember, it has been a while since I've been over to visit," She explained without malice in her voice. The resemblance to Sasuke made all too much sense now.

Naruto brought her fingers to the nape of her neck and scratched it nervously, a tick she'd never quite gotten rid of. She marveled at how lovely the woman was but speaking with her held the same feeling as speaking to a victim of the Edo Tensei, though she wondered why she didn't feel that way with her parents (her Dad had actually _been_ one), "Sorry about that. Bad with faces," Naruto told her with an easier smile. She didn't know if seeing Sasuke's mother alive made her happy or nervous or both.

Mikoto nodded and kept the smile on her face; it was gentle and matronly - It had the makings to put anyone at ease, especially a child. "What are you doing out here at this time?" She asked. She began looking around, "Minato-san isn't with you," she continued with mild surprise.

Naruto almost laughed - Everyone knew about her Father's overprotective ways; she supposed he wasn't shy about it. "Dad had a meeting with the old- Hokage-sama. I was just getting something to eat, you know," She said, tripping up slightly - Old habits die hard.

Mikoto seemed to think for awhile before speaking, "Really? Then how about you come to our house for lunch with us?" She said brightly.

"Oh, well..." Naruto began, hiding her disappointment but not sure how to politely refuse. _My ramen!_ "... I don't want to intrude on you, Mikoto-san,"

"Nonsense, Naruto-chan!" Mikoto chided before beginning to walk, expecting Naruto to follow, with heavy groceries balancing on her arms. "It's just me and my little boy at home at this time of the day, so it's nice to have company once in a while,"

"Itachi-kun?" Naruto asked, looking intently - She resigned herself to eating with the Uchiha, since she couldn't very well turn her down for ramen. Honestly, at first, she had hated Itachi for causing Sasuke so much pain but she understood that Itachi had merely been a victim of circumstance and the ambition of others - Deep down, he held Sasuke's existence before his own and he suffered the guilt of slaughtering his clan all alone until his death.

"Ne, you remember Itachi's name but not mine?" Mikoto said playfully, showing a more carefree side than before, "That's not very nice, Naruto-chan,"

"Ah, well! My mother is always talking about how cute he is," She lied - Or maybe she didn't. She wasn't sure. For all she knew, Kushina could have gushed over the eldest son. "It's hard to forget when you hear it all the time,"

Mikoto giggled, "If that's the case, I wish she would come to see him more often. She's been so busy lately," She said with noticeable trouble juggling all the groceries at once - Sure, before she settled down as a Housewife, she had been a Konoha Jounin but even Shinobi only had two arms (usually).

Noticing her discomfort, Naruto took three of the bags from her, "Here, I'll help," She said, feeling rude to have not noticed the woman's plight sooner.

"Thank you, Naruto-chan! We'll be at my home soon," She told her with a smile.

For the rest of the walk, Mikoto and Naruto continue their casual banter - The latter knows more than she lets on and the former has no idea that, to her young house guest, she'd been dead a long time. Naruto thought about the few times Sasuke's eyes had softened and maybe he'd been close to tears, when he'd tell her about his parents just to get it off his chest; just to prove that they lived and loved and cared for him once, even if it now felt like a dream. Sasuke spoke of his Mother, who was dutiful and kind beyond measure, and a Father who was stern and hesitant to nurture but had a heart big enough for an entire clan. Then of a brother, who misunderstood as he was, had been redeemed in death.

In Naruto's heart, she felt guilt as they entered the Uchiha compound, of which she'd only seen once in her life, full of life and energy, like a small village all it's own and entered that traditional home, peering down to meet a pair of precocious, almost-black eyes staring up at her. Itachi. She'd felt guilt because she knew what Sasuke would give to see them again; breathing and happy; thriving.

"How old is he now?" She asked but secretly, the questions that popped into her mind were so dark and deep that she didn't want to acknowledge them but she's forced to because Itachi is there - He's only a toddler; he can't even walk. He's surely close; he's a genius - He'll unlock his Sharingan at eight and become an ANBU at 13. _How did it feel to be killed by your own son?_

Mikoto is in the kitchen, packing away her groceries. "He's two," She called, placing a few vegetables into the fridge and the sight doesn't make Naruto shrivel because she's already sitting in the site of a massacre, so her irrationally picky eating habits didn't seem to be so important.

"Can he talk yet?" _Did the betrayal hurt more than the blade?_

"He can say a few words," Mikoto answered, more than happy at the show of interest in her only child, "His first word was Mama," She continued proudly.

Naruto laughed, dryly (she thinks) but Mikoto doesn't note the nervous connotation and merely accepts the response. "How did your husband feel about that?" Naruto returned in a joking voice. _Did you console him as you died?_

"Fugaku?" Mikoto asked rhetorically, humming in thought, "He doesn't really care about those things. He's all about the clan. Once Itachi becomes a fine Shinobi, Fugaku will be interested," She said - Her words sound like complaint but there's no sign of it in her voice, maybe even fondness penetrates the words and that's something Naruto can admire and understands the trait of 'dutiful' when placed on Mikoto's shoulders.

Naruto doesn't talk again because while she was speaking and thinking of things better left unsaid, Itachi crawled to her and put his all into scrambling onto her lap, lying on his back and gurgling in some strange rhythm. She watched him and tried to see the Itachi she knew but couldn't - The Itachi she knew didn't act so vulnerably around anyone, not family and certainly not Naruto. The Itachi she knew was self-sacrificing and a tortured soul but the Itachi lying on her lap, innocent and without a care in the world, was someone else entirely. And perhaps, that's the reason Naruto could smile happily and make funny faces and tickle the child's belly in an attempt to elicit a mellifluous and adorable giggle from _this_ Itachi Uchiha.

Mikoto came into the room, only a small border of different flooring separating it from the kitchen, to ask Naruto what she wanted to eat but is stopped by the sight. Her little Itachi happily being doted on by her good friend, Kushina's, only child. She smiled for awhile, not wanting to ruin the moment, before she spoke, clear but soft, "He doesn't usually approach people he doesn't know. You must have a way with children,"

As if in her own little world, Naruto's head snapped up in surprise then she gave a large grin, "Of course! Everyone loves me," She told her, her tone suggesting it's a fact. The young Itachi still clutching onto her finger and her carefully avoiding allowing him to stick the appendage in his mouth, as much as she knew he wanted to. As an after thought, she added: "Who was taking care of Itachi-kun while you were out?"

Mikoto gave a pleasant laugh before turning back to the kitchen, "Obito-kun was here until I got back. He saw me and went scurrying home, saying his Grandmother would kill him if he didn't get his chores done. That sounds like her." Deciding her son was in perfectly good hands, Mikoto finally asked the question she had been intending to, "What would you like to eat, Naruto-chan?"

She shrugged off the fact that she hadn't seen Obito at all. Naruto was bashful for a moment, wondering if it's polite to actually say what you want or if it would be more appropriate to say 'Whatever you're making, I'd be happy to eat' - She wanted to cringe when she thought about the lessons on etiquette that Tsunade literally pounded into her using her fist. Despite that, she decided that having too many manners in her free time wasn't her style, "Do you know how to make ramen?" She asked as an answer, her inflection almost sly.

Mikoto opened the cupboard, humming in thought once again, "I could probably whip up some if that's what you want," She finally replied, secretly excited to try a new dish - Ramen was something she'd never made before; Fugaku believed in a balanced and hearty diet so ramen was effectively out of the question.

"I'd like that," Naruto said, hiding the true extent to which she would like to eat ramen. Maybe she could save that money she found for dinner. Surely such a motherly woman would be able to cook it wonderfully, even to a ramen connoisseur like Naruto's standards.

"Alright!" Mikoto said determinedly, rolling up her sleeves, "As payment, please take care of Itachi well while I'm busy, Naruto-chan," She continued before beginning to boil the water and finding the noodles kept in a container at the far corner of the cupboard.

"You got it!" Naruto returned emphatically. She looked down at the bundle on her lap with a smile. Maybe the child had sensed her thoughts or maybe he had just been interested in the new house guest by chance but he'd shown her the true extent of this new reality - It had taken a few days but she finally understood that this wasn't her time anymore. Itachi was only an innocent toddler - He hadn't killed anyone, he hadn't joined the Akatsuki - The only thing he might be guilty of is refusing to sleep or crying at ungodly hours as young children were wont to do.

Naruto's eyes looked at the back of Mikoto, her apron strings visibly tied in a neat bow, and gave a smile that was neither sad nor happy, simply there. She didn't know if this woman seemed so welcoming and familiar because of her resemblance and relation to Sasuke or simply because she was but Naruto had found that even in this new reality, she could form bonds with people she was never meant to meet and reform the old ones, too. She didn't have to look at Mikoto as if she had just risen from the grave because she wouldn't let the same fate befall her.

Naruto decided, there and then, that if the threat of a massacre ever arose - Though, she doubted it would since the Kyuubi attack wouldn't happen in this reality (though Madara Uchiha was a man who could create opportunities just as well as he seized them) - she would be there to prevent it and to give Sasuke the childhood he deserved, to keep him from leaving Konoha and feeling pain that a child shouldn't have to bear. Because, as she thought back to her parents, she'd found the happiness her childhood needed and now understood perfectly well.

Sasuke deserved Mikoto, Itachi and Fugaku Uchiha just as much as Naruto deserved Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze.

* * *

It was late by the time Naruto managed to leave Sasuke's future house. Itachi had conveniently learned the word 'no' when Naruto had stated it was time for her to go home because she knew her Father would be beyond worried - She thought that maybe she should've written a note but she didn't know she was going to be out so late. Mikoto's ramen had been great, by the way - It wasn't the usual miso Naruto liked, just a simple salt broth but the tastes were well-balanced and Mikoto even added pork slices just for her. After Itachi had clung to her, Naruto ended up sitting for tea with Mikoto for another two hours or so. They talked about nothing in particular but it had Naruto smiling fondly as she left.

"Hey, Naruto-chan!" Obito yelled from a little ways down the street, still in the Uchiha compound. He began running towards Naru at full speed.

The other Uchiha looked on with distaste and it was clear that they didn't have the most fond feelings towards Obito, though the boy didn't seem to mind - Naruto knew all too well, however, that _no one_ can not mind being disliked and ostracized.

"Hey, Obito!" Naruto greeted in return, purposely increasing her volume to an unnecessary level just to cause further discord to the snooty Uchihas. No one dared send her any look beside a neutral stare, most likely remembering her lineage - Even the proud Uchiha weren't above fearing the Yellow Flash's extensive history in battle. His complex towards his daughter wasn't a secret, either.

"Why are you in the Uchiha compound?" Obito asked curiously, he interlaced his fingers and held the back of his head with his joint hands in a familiar gesture as they walked.

"Mikoto-san invited me over for lunch," She explained, looking over him, "How did your chores go? You look like crap," A bit of revenge for saying she wasn't cute.

Obito sputtered, "Shut up! You try overturning an entire cabbage garden without getting dirty!" He defended, giving her a rather weak glare. He had a ways to go before he mastered the Uchiha Death Glare no Jutsu; Sasuke had been a master at that technique by the time he was 8.

"Why didn't you change your clothes at least?" She asked, looking at him like he was a fool. She kept her eyes awake and active, searching for Ichiraku - She knew where _her_ Ichiraku was like the back of her hand but this one, she noticed, was in a different part of town - Less foot traffic and close to a seedy neighborhood. Not to mention, the style was just how she remembers it when she was younger, rather than what it's become.

He looked embarrassed for a moment, "I was going to, but... I saw you walking down the road and didn't want to miss you; I thought that I wouldn't have to do the dishes if I went with you to have dinner," He said honestly, looking away guiltily.

"You used me as an excuse?" She asked, mock incredulity in her voice.

Obviously thinking it was real, Obito waved his hands wildly in negation, "No way! I wouldn't do that to you, Naruto-chan. We're friends, aren't we?" He said quickly. When he didn't receive a reply, he changed the subject: "So, you must be pretty high up if you got invited over to the Main Family's house like that," he told her, a sweat drop visible on his temple.

"Really?" Naruto said, thoughtfully - She remembered hearing something about the Uchiha being quite withdrawn and all about themselves; thinking of the Uchiha she'd known since childhood, she didn't find it completely far-fetched. "She's a friend of my Mother's,"

"Ah, Kushina-nee-chan?" Obito beamed happily, slowing his steps so Naruto could keep up with her much shorter strides.

"'Nee-chan'?" Naruto questioned, looking slightly amused.

For some reason, Obito blushed a little, feeling a bit childish: "Y-yeah,"

The blonde girl just nodded, understanding. She, too, had people she looked up to as impromptu family members, "I didn't know you knew my Mother," She commented, simply to move the conversation along.

"You didn't? I've come over to your house for dinner so many times!" He said loudly with a wide grin - Obviously, he had tasted the heaven that was Kushina's cooking. He paused in thought before continuing: "Then again, your Dad always took you out for dinner when I came over,"

Naruto deadpanned - Truly, her Father knew no limits. "Is that so? That sounds like something he would do," She said with a slight smile.

Obito gave her a curious look, "You hadn't noticed?"

"W-well, Dad doesn't tell me you're coming over... so I just assumed he wanted to spend time with me..." She lied; she tripped over her words a tad but hopefully her recovery was enough to fool Obito. She had never been particularly good at lying - She could tell half-truths fine but lying was another issue entirely, which is why the other Kages are so persistent to speak to her directly when diplomatic negotiations are underway.

He looked suspicious for a moment before simply nodding, "He _is_ fast!" Obito joked, flashing a smile.

Naruto blinked once and then laughed, hysterically, though she didn't know why. "That joke was bad," She gasped out.

Obito looked like displeased child and huffed, "You laughed pretty hard," He grumbled.

"Sometimes jokes are so bad, you have to laugh," She informed him matter-of-factly, posturing herself.

"Yeah, whatever," He returned, poking his tongue out at her, "You wouldn't know a good joke if it bit you in the ass,"

"That makes two of us," She teased.

Obito crossed his arms childishly and looked away with a huff.

Naruto just smiled, "Yeah, yeah. Keep walking," She told him patiently.

Obito's eyebrows, that were knitted together, slowly returned to their resting position - He wasn't used to people speaking to him in such a level manner when he got agitated, usually they'd be saying a few choice words or ignoring his existence or simply glaring.

"You know, Dad wrote me a note and told me not to meet with you while he was gone," She spoke after many steps passed.

"I can't believe Minato-sensei is that kind of Dad," Obito exhaled sharply, almost a sigh, "He's always so harsh with us,"

"Hm, yeah, I noticed that," Naruto agreed, nodding. "Nothing he says is wrong, though," She reminded him softly.

"... I know that," Obito conceded in a low voice.

Naruto's eyes softened, "Dad just wants you guys to be able to survive in the Shinobi world. If he wasn't at least this harsh with you, you wouldn't be ready when the real challenges come,"

Obito nodded and bit his lip, casting a discrete side glance at the eleven year old walking beside him, "I'm older than you but sometimes it feels like I'm talking to an adult," He told her offhandedly.

Blue orbs widened only a small amount, not noticeably at least, "Really?" She said shortly, hoping to hide her discomfort.

Obito nodded and to her utter relief, explained himself: "It's probably because you're the daughter of the genius Yellow Flash!" He told her, looking almost proud somehow.

"Must be," She agreed with a certain tightness in her voice.

Obito chose not to question it and Naruto noted that he was prone to ignorance and didn't pick up body language well for a Shinobi, "Since you're like this, why were you acting like that with Bakashi?" He asked with unnerving nonchalance.

Naruto couldn't tell him that's how she thought one should behave to get along with someone like him and just shrugged, "Some people just do that to me," She told him coolly. Though she secretly resolved not to act like that anymore - After all, he wasn't Sasuke and even Sasuke had grown out of arguing with her now.

"I understand that completely!" He told her as if she had just said something internationally relatable, "Bakashi always makes me so angry and I have to argue with him and then Rin-chan gets angry _at me_. Man, I wish Rin-chan would take my side for once... Bakashi doesn't like her like I do," He ranted, anger waning into dejection near the end.

"I'm sure Rin-chan will come around in the end," Naruto comforted, remembering Sakura's long-fought battle for Sasuke's affections (and internally saddening), "Everything takes time," said the time traveler, her voice a little softer.

Obito nodded vigorously, a new fire in his eyes, "I know! I won't give up, ever!" He yelled, psyching himself up by holding both arms in front of him, with clenched fists, and pulling down.

Naruto met his larger-than-life grin with an almost-identical one of her own and looked at him, "That's the spirit, 'ttebayo!" Even at this age, she was easily excitable and seeing someone psych himself up so thoroughly made her happy.

"What are you two idiots smiling about?" A male voice drawled from in front of them.

"Keh," Obito almost spat, "None of your business, Bakashi!"

Kakashi noticed that same fondness from before spark in Naruto's eyes and she smiled at him, not with exuberance but just quietly. Naruto could still clearly see Kakashi-sensei, even if the personality was a bit off. "Come have some ramen with us," She told him, without prompting, as if by habit; it wasn't a question, it was an insistence - an order. It felt natural - nostalgic, even.

"Wha-? Naruto-chan?" Obito said, mouth almost agape.

Kakashi blinked and tugged on his mask a little, "I'll pass," He told her with steely eyes.

She grabbed both his and Obito's sleeves and continued walking down the street, "Oh come on! Ramen is the food of the Gods, 'ttebayo!" She told them - Even now, her love for ramen didn't diminish an ounce.

Obito struggled, "Naruto-chan, let go! You'll rip it! I'm coming, just don't drag me," He whined, twisting his arm away.

"Let go, fool," Kakashi said with mild disdain, "I'm not interested in spending more time than necessary with that crybaby or you,"

Naruto's grip didn't let up; it was surprisingly strong for her stature.

"I don't cry! Dust gets in my eyes!" Obito defended desperately.

"Ch, how does that happen when you always wear goggles?" Kakashi challenged with a glint of something in his eyes.

"Gah!" Obito bellowed in frustration, "Shut up, Bakashi!"

"You don't have a proper argument so you just throw words around. You're supposed to be older than me but you're just a child," Kakashi said seriously.

Before Obito could retort, Naruto's happy laughter resounded through the street and she let them go, hoping they would continue to follow. To her, they were both children.

Two sets of dark eyes were on her. Obito was the first to speak: "What's funny?!" He asked, slightly angry at the fact that the little girl always made him feel childish some way or another.

Kakashi sent a glare her way as if backing up Obito's words.

"Sorry, sorry," She told them, a few laughs still escaping her lips, "You two just remind me of people I used to know," It was the truth, even if one of those people that she 'used to know' was her.

"What does that mean?" Kakashi asked with a slight edge to his voice.

Her voice didn't waver one bit and she got the feeling Kakashi was used to people being intimidated by him, "Just the way you two argue reminds me of them," She explained, a hint of nostalgia laced into her tone.

Kakashi noticed it and her change of attitude from the other day, too. Instead of unjust outbursts, she was speaking calmly and assuredly like someone who knew how to deal with people _expertly_ , but he kept his observations quiet, instead deciding to watch her for a bit longer.

Naruto could feel that he was weary of her - Kakashi still had that listen and observe personality, although she knew that if she got on the wrong side of it, the only reason he wouldn't attack her would be because her Father was his precious Sensei.

Obito just accepted it with a nod, "I wish Rin-chan could come, too!" He whined to them and sent a discrete (read: obvious) glare at Kakashi, his love rival.

Kakashi didn't seem at all interested in his problems in romance but continued following them regardless.

 _A tsundere?_ Naruto thought briefly, amusing herself. "If we see her, we'll invite her," She consoled. The bright lights, compared to the dark streets, was like a beacon of hope for Naruto, whose eyes lit up, "There's Ichiraku! Let's go, dattebayo!" She said, grabbing their sleeves and pulling again as she ran.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to pull on me?" Kakashi said in a low, threatening tone.

Obito was running alongside her because if his Grandmother saw his sleeve was ripped, she'd make him scrub the floors until his fingers bled, so his only option was to match Naru's speed.

"Once you have some of Teuchi's ramen, you'll forgive me," She told him assuredly. She sat in the middle stool while the two boys took a seat on either side of her - She hoped for this arrangement since they can't so easily strangle each other. However, if they tried to fight and somehow ruined her ramen, she wouldn't hesitate to bring all Nine Tails out on them.

"Che," Kakashi said, slightly childish. He didn't want to acknowledge the fact that he could've left of his own accord, and could still do so, at any time but for some reason, he had stayed and now he was about to eat ramen even though he didn't particularly like the food.

Obito sat on the stool but his head drooped as he looked at his hands, his thumbs twirling around each other. He didn't say anything.

Naruto's eyes were on him as she ordered, "Mister! One miso ramen, please!" She called out to not-so-old ramen master and, as an afterthought, added: "Extra pork slices,"

The two others didn't order. Obito kept his eyes down, not daring to look up, and Kakashi didn't know what he wanted; he read through the menu several times but couldn't decide.

"You got it, Naru!" Teuchi's smile still in place, as always, "What can I get these two, then?" He asked with hands clasped together, exuding patience.

The two still didn't speak.

She gave them five minutes before she sighed and answered for them, "Can I have another miso and one salt, please," She said politely, then looked at Kakashi, "Oh and a few slices of eggplant on the side with the salt ramen!"

Teuchi seemed amused and nodded, moving off to his station without further conversation. Naruto enjoyed watching him make the noodles; he was so proficient - If ever there was an Olympic section for ramen, Teuchi would surely bring back the gold.

"Naruto-chan, I..." Obito began, looking doubtful. His eyes found Kakashi sitting on the other side of Naruto and he cringed - He couldn't tell her he didn't have the money to pay for the food when he had tagged along in the first place, especially not with _him_ there.

Without any other words needed, Naru shook her head, "Don't worry. Since I made you two come with me, this one's on me!" She told him with a beaming smile.

Kakashi looked at the girl incredulously as she spoke to Obito - How had she known he liked eggplant? He hadn't told many people - He was sure no one but his Father had actually known of this preference. He often tried his hardest to be the epitome of a nameless ninja in order to follow the Shinobi rules to the T, so he had acted as though he didn't have a true preference in anything. But somehow, she had known.

Obito, reluctant to accept charity, looked at her sharply and opened his mouth to speak before she cut him off.

"I'm paying," She said resolutely, blue eyes returning his stare, perhaps even stronger, "We're friends, aren't we?" She smiled and an unreadable emotion danced within the cerulean depths. She, more than most, knew what it was like to go without.

"... I-If you insist," He said as he realized she wasn't showing him pity, coughing to hide his embarrassment and trying to telepathically say thank you without Kakashi knowing.

Pulled from his daze, Kakashi looked directly in front of him where Teuchi was still making the noodles, "I don't need you to pay for me," He said proudly, pulling out his wallet - He had inherited a large sum of money as the last known living Hatake Clan member and, as he often didn't do much but train and study, the money he made from missions was saved, too.

"Okay!" Naruto agreed, nodding a bit too enthusiastically. Now, she could have three bowls and she wouldn't have to worry about Obito being embarrassed. Score!

Kakashi was a bit taken aback at how easily the blonde girl had simply brushed off her offer to pay for him while she very much insisted to Obito. He ignored the slightest tinge of anger that flared in the back of his mind and chalked it up to him feeling the treatment was unfair, nothing more. He wondered if that was her type. Weird girl.

Naruto, on the other hand, was completely focused on Kakashi, even as she spoke to Obito. While everyone else she met was effectively a stranger, Kakashi felt different - Having ramen with him; it felt just like she was back in familiar territory and as much as she loved an adventure, sometimes familiar was splendid and grand all on its own. He hadn't changed much physically twenty-nine years later - He was taller, of course but his looks were almost exactly the same, albeit a bit more mature. The difference was in how he carried himself, really.

This Kakashi spoke in short, necessary sentences and never slouched; seemed like the type who wouldn't be caught dead with the slightest slant in his posture. His hands were almost always resting by his side, close to his weapons pouch probably, never in his pockets or holding a book (Naruto wondered when he began reading Icha Icha and what drove him to become such a pervert in the first place). Honestly, he was completely different from the skilled slacker she had come to admire.

But then, she remembered why - The pain was still fresh. Even if Obito, Rin and Minato were alive, Kakashi had already felt a loss so deeply it had shaped his character. As the Hokage, Naruto wasn't above snooping through the files from Shinobi long past, especially legendary heroes (disgraced as he may have been) like Sakumo Hatake - It was somewhat of a hobby of hers to see the lives of men and women who shaped the ninja world like few others could; especially when she had alot of paperwork to do and Shikamaru was hiding behind the door, waiting for her to try and escape.

The files only gave a general recount of their lives - The amount of missions, their stats, specializations, team formations and then there was the mission log with the reports in tact and small summaries. The White Fang was always the first to be called on for the most difficult S-rank missions and he completed them without a single casualty; Naruto envied that strength, even though she had surpassed him by that time. She found her eyes drawn to the report of his most crucial mission, and the one that would cost his reputation and subsequently, his life. The report read like a deep apology from himself to the Hokage. Naruto could feel both regret and pride fighting on the pages - He regretted that he had to break the Shinobi rules, forgetting the mission but was proud to have saved his comrades. Then her eyes had met a small note at the end of his file that threatened to break her heart in two and tears threatened to spill from her eyes but knew she didn't have the right to cry. It was Kakashi's right and his alone.

On that small note, written in scrawl that was so lazy it was almost encrypted, it read:

 _Sakumo Hatake_

 _Status: Deceased_

 _Cause of Death: Suicide_

 _Living Relatives: Kakashi Hatake; son_

As some sort of condolence to both Kakashi and the Legendary White Fang, Sakumo Hatake, Naruto found herself throwing the note away and finding a new piece of paper - it was much larger and sturdier; it was the paper she used to write letters to foreign dignitaries and to the Kages themselves. Slowly, with the handwriting she began honing from her recent studies in fuinjutsu, she rewrote the note with almost affectionate care and slid it back into the file with a small prayer. She'd never see that note again but she'd never forget it either.

"Here's your ramen, folks. Enjoy!" Teuchi said kindly - He didn't know where the sudden change came from in the young Namikaze but he wasn't about to question it. She was a good kid; he quickly became fond of her although this was only their second meeting - he assumed she was just one of those people. Besides, he was quite fond of Kushina and the girl was just like her, really - Maybe without the temper.

Kakashi bowed his head, not above being polite to his elders. He pulled apart his chop sticks and began eating the ramen in such a way it almost looked _delicate_. Much like the Kakashi of her time, Naruto found that this one pulled down his mask, put the food in his mouth and covered his face with the mask again with a speed that rivaled Shisui of the Body Flicker.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto called with a sad side glance at Kakashi - She held the hope that maybe this Kakashi wouldn't be so adept or religious about hiding his face but she should've known such things were drilled in from childhood. She began slurping up the noodles, "Have you ever seen Kakashi's face?" She asked Obito with a piece of noodle still hanging from her lips.

Obito didn't seem to mind. He took a sip of the miso broth and shook his head, "None of us have! I don't get it." He told her, looking cross: "We all know he only does it to look cool, so why won't he let anyone see his face?"

Naruto nodded in agreement fervently. Honestly, she didn't even know why he wore the mask; she thought it was a fashion statement but he had assured her it wasn't, though didn't see fit to disclose the actual reason. She shrugged and kept slurping - She supposed she'd have to wait for her chance. Maybe it'd be easier to persuade this Kakashi to take his mask off.

Kakashi paused in his meal and coughed, discouraging them from talking about him: "A shinobi is just a tool. Our identity isn't of importance so long as we complete the mission," He offered as some sort of explanation in an almost-mechanical voice.

Obito rolled his eyes; there he goes again.

Naruto frowned, seeing the deeper meaning. Kakashi had never confided in her about Sakumo besides that short moment of vulnerability, shortly after Nagato resurrected Konoha's dead, when he had resolved his issues with his Father and allowed him to move on to the next life without worry. It was obvious that, to keep from suffering the disgrace and the eventual end that Sakumo did, Kakashi threw himself into the Shinobi rules and tried to dispel everything that would interfere. What had allowed Kakashi to move past that pain, she wondered. She hoped it came quickly.

In all honesty, Naruto wanted to console this Kakashi because seeing that expression, a dead look of obedience and resignation, on her Sensei's face was crushing, to say the least. If she could help him, she would - But how? For all the wisdom that a Hokage should supposedly posses, Naruto couldn't find an answer. However, she had become more patient over the years and she could wait for a moment where Kakashi was willing and ready to accept outside help and when that time came, she'd be there no matter what. He was her precious sensei, after all.

"Na-ru-to," An all-too-familiar, to all of them, voice sounded from directly behind the youngest Namikaze, an eerie vibe rolling off of him.

Naruto slurped up the noodle she was eating and craned her neck back to meet mirrored cerulean eyes peering down at her. She beamed, "Hey, Dad! Did you come to have some ramen, too?" She asked innocently, completely aware of his displeasure.

Minato forced to keep his mouth in a tight line instead of giving in and returning the smile, "No, Naru-chan," He said with something disturbingly close to a pout, "I told you not to go see Obito while I was gone but who do I find you with? Not just Obito but Kakashi, too!" He said between his teeth, his voice still at a quiet level.

As she was finished with her first bowl of ramen, Naruto turned around to face him, "My neck hurts," she complained, rubbing the offending muscles, "We're just having some ramen, don't worry," She told him consolingly, patting him on the shoulder.

"How can I not worry if you run off and meet with boys at every chance you get?" He said, wholly-whining but refusing to admit it.

She sighed, "I just met Obito by coincidence, both times," She explained for the sake of his sanity, "Mikoto-san invited me to the Uchiha compound for lunch and we ran into each other on my way out,"

That didn't seem to please Minato at all, it might have actually made it worse: "You were _that_ close to Obito's house?" He stressed, sending a quick glare at his student.

Teuchi watched with barely-concealed amusement at the spectacle. Every time he had seen Minato, the blonde had been so cool and collected with quiet confidence. Now what? He'd turned into something completely different. What a frightening power the youngest Namikaze had - Not even Kushina could make him that weak.

"S-sensei, I didn't do anything, I swear!" Obito defended, hands splayed out in his defense, "My heart belongs to Rin-chan!" He proclaimed boldly, earning the small part of him visible to the pedestrians outside strange looks.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. First, he gets put in a team with an idiot (Obito) and now his Sensei was heading towards the same level at full speed - At least, in his defense, it was only when Naruto was around. Obito was always an idiot, even more so when he was with Rin.

"Stop overreacting, Dad," Naruto told him, giving him a look that tried to say 'You know I'm twenty-five, right?' but probably said, to him, 'I have experience with men'.

"We're going home, Naru-chan," Minato told her suddenly and practically pulled her from her seat. He looked at his two team members sharply, "I'll see you two at training tomorrow," He said in a tone that somehow sent a shiver down both of their spines.

"A-ah, wait!" Naruto quickly put two bills down to pay for her and Obito's respective ramen, "Thanks, Teuchi! I'll come back again soon, 'ttebayo!" She called to him.

"You're welcome any time, Naru! You too, Minato!" Teuchi called back with a jovial laugh.

"Thank you very much," Minato responded politely, while dragging the poor eleven year old home.

Obito looked at Naruto's feet being dragged towards her home and then back at Kakashi, "What just happened?" He asked Kakashi, the first civil thing he's said to him in weeks.

Kakashi shrugged, giving an uninterested look, "I just lost a bit of respect for Minato-sensei," He said seriously.

Obito didn't like it but he actually agreed with Bakashi.

* * *

Tsunade was out on the balcony of her motel room, enjoying some late night sake, when a dark figure jumped down from the roof onto the rail infront of her. "That was quick, Hito," She said without a single change in expression.

"It's no fun if you're not surprised, Tsunade- _hime,_ " Hito returned, that snide confidence completely recovered.

"Forget that," Tsunade returned, she gave him an inspecting look, "Where is it?"

Hito wrung his hands nervously, "I couldn't retrieve the necklace,"

Tsunade brought her thumb to her mouth and bit off the overgrown nail off, "What the hell do you mean you couldn't retrieve it?! Do you want the money or not?" She roared, forgetting her resolve to let Shizune sleep.

The black-haired woman opened one eye in her futon but otherwise, didn't move - She knew Hito couldn't hurt Lady Tsunade and frankly, she didn't want to be anywhere near the buxom blonde when she found out that she would have to go to Konoha, because they both knew full well that's where it was.

"Well, you see..." He began, feeling that familiar and angry aura, "... The girl who carries it,"

"A girl?" Tsunade repeats, more to herself, with a worrying look in her eyes.

"Yes," Hito returns, almost exasperated, "Where the problem lies is, well..." The sneaky informant trailed off, looking off to the side.

Tsunade slammed her hand on the table holding her sake and it broke into shards of mahogany, the bottle of sake (which she regretted wasting) fell on the ground and shattered as if following suit, "Hurry up and tell me already!" She commanded. She couldn't stand the thought that a little girl could possibly die due to her negligence.

"The girl appears to be the daughter of Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash," Hito finally told her, the fear of the man clear in his eyes, "Or atleast of some relation,"

Tsunade's eyes widened and she immediately reached into her jacket, throwing a coin purse into Hito's awaiting hands. She stomped off into the room, "Shizune! Get up, we have to go!" She all but screamed, flipping the petite woman out of her bed.

"Y-yes, M'lady!" Shizune told her, scrambling to her feet. She hadn't heard who was carrying the necklace and no intention of asking Lady Tsunade at the moment, so she didn't know why her teacher was so frantic.

Hito weighed the coin purse in his hand and nodded with a snicker, jumping down from the worn-down balcony with ease, "Pleasure doing business with you, Tsunade- _hime_ ," He said condescendingly once he was out of ear shot.

Tsunade packed and left faster than she had since she'd wracked up a four million ryo debt back in the Land of Iron. Sure, she didn't particularly fear them but those samurai were pesky opponents and she preferred to avoid fights to the death if she could. Especially considering her intense fear of blood. She made it incredibly clear to Shizune that they didn't have any time to waste and they were off, out of the village and towards Konoha, the village Tsunade left behind long ago.

There was no way she was letting Kushina's daughter die.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** _Somehow it feels like I'm writing a Fem!NaruObito fic :P I want Naruto and Obito to be good friends, though, that's why - Also, I find it alot easier to write Obito in conversation. Honestly, I find Kakashi very hard to write but I will gradually (I hope it's gradual) be changing Kakashi into what he is in the present timeline because he's so cool ;) I feel a little bad for leaving Rin out but I didn't want to have them seek her out because that would take fo'ever, and it would be so weird if all three of Team Minato's younger members just **happened** to meet on the path to Ichiraku. What is this? Ninja of Oz: Ichiraku Gaiden?  
_

 _That dream about Sasuke was like a premonition that Naru would meet Mikoto and Itachi :O (Totally not a plot device because who even does that? Pft PFT. What do you mean convenient plot points? PFFFT. I am offended!)_

 _Also, notice Naru is acting a bit more mature? Yeah :P I hope the change isn't too much for you but I thought about it and the Seventh Hokage, twenty-five year old Naruto should be able to hold a conversation without having random outbursts, right? Her getting angry at Kurama is one of my favorite things, though c;_


	7. Complications

**Author Note:** _Hello, it's me again ;o Feels like I'm introducing a youtube video hahah._

 _AngstYourMyLife: Dude, Sasuke bashing? I love that shit! Honestly, I don't hate the guy (But even more honestly, I couldn't understand him until the very end of 699 - Although I'll never understand SasuSaku - I know I wrote them together briefly in chapter 1 but that was just for dramatic effect, you see? c:) but some of the stuff he does, man... Geez. Either way, Naru will realize that Kakashi wins over Sasuke any day of the year :) - Or maybe that's just my opinion? There goes my attempts at being an unbiased author! D:  
_

 _There was a delay on this chapter simply because I lost my flow (in writing o.o) a bit but I hope it meets your expectations ^^ It took me awhile to write this because I went and re-watched some important parts, looked into Naruto's abilities a bit more and re-read Sasuke and Naruto's final fight just to get the juices flowing - All for you, aren't I kind?_

* * *

Naruto finally convinced Minato to stop dragging her just before they reached their home. She wasn't particularly fussed about it or the looks she was getting - amused glances were better than hateful glares or having one's existence ignored, after all - but now her shinobi sandals were completely dirty and she was supposed to be starting the Academy tomorrow. She sighed and took them off at the door, knowing her Mother would throw a fit if she got dirt on the carpet.

"Naru-chan," Minato began.

She stopped him, "Dad, there's more important things than boys to worry about right now," That sentence sounded pretty strange to her, "You spoke to the Old Man today, right?" She asked pointedly, taking a seat on the couch - The cushy piece of furniture had become their impromptu meeting ground.

Minato joined her and, realizing he was now speaking to the serious, adult Naru, he straightened, "I did," He affirmed. He briefly thought he should probably correct her habit of addressing the Hokage as the 'Old Man' since he _was_ the leader of their village and therefore, the highest power - Disrespect was something a shinobi shouldn't be fond of when it came to their superiors but somehow, it felt... right?

"I see," She returned, "What did you two talk about?"

"We both know that assignments A-rank and above are confidential during War times, Naru," His blue eyes sharpened as they looked at her.

There was a slight edge to her voice when she next spoke, "Dad, as you should already know, I'm well aware of most crucial matters that happen from hereon. I'm asking so I can help your students survive. Now tell me, did the Old Man talk about the Kannabi Bridge mission or your deployment to the Front Lines?" She didn't have the privilege of feeling a dull ache at the thought of her Father going to War and putting himself in mortal danger, so she stifled it.

Minato pondered for a moment. He nodded quickly - If it was anyone other than his daughter, he would've withheld the information even if it meant death, no matter what knowledge they had but he knew she could be trusted. He supposed he was prone to nepotism in the end, "Both," His cool voice finally said, "We depart tomorrow. Rin, Obito and Kakashi should have already received the mission scroll by now,"

"Tomorrow?" She said, surprised - It was so soon. "Kakashi has been promoted to Jounin already?" She finally recovered.

Minato gave another precise nod, "The Elders and Hokage-sama decided on the promotion last night and he should have found out this morning," He told her, "What are you planning to do? As you know, I cannot turn down a direct order from Hokage-sama even if I believe my students' lives are at risk,"

It was Naru's turn to nod, "I know that fact well," She hummed pensively, the serious expression looking quite amiss on an eleven year old girl's face, "I want to shadow your team until I need to intervene," She told him, hoping to avoid any argument.

Minato couldn't stifle his paternal instincts, "You can't! It's far too dangerous," He insisted, eyes half-pleading and half-commanding.

Their matching eyes locked on each other in a sudden staring contest - A battle of wills, "I know I look like this but once, I was a Hokage myself. I can handle this," She told him sharply.

"You were an adult then," He returned, matching her tone easily, "You're just a little girl now," A hint of the pleading from before returned to his voice.

Naru regretted causing the sad spark in her Father's cerulean eyes and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "Will you allow me to show you that I'm capable of doing this?" She asked him quietly.

He nodded, much to Naruto's utter relief - It seemed she didn't need to be explained the fact that she wanted to demonstrate her skills to him, "Do you need anything?" He inquired.

Without another thought, Naruto told him what she had been planning to ask for: "I'll need chakra concealing seals set up in a perimeter on one of the training grounds. They need to be strong enough to hide Kyuubi and Sage Chakra in conjunction," She briefed him quickly, knowing he could easily keep up. As an afterthought, she added, "Is it possible to add a cloaking enhancement to the seals so no one can see inside the barrier?"

Minato stifled his amazement at those words - She could use both Sage Mode and Kyuubi Chakra together and control it? "Yes, I can do that," He told her, rolling up his sleeves and standing. He began towards his and Kushina's shared bed room.

"Do you mind if I watch you make them?" She asked tentatively, "I've been studying Fuinjutsu myself for a few years but.. it'd be great if I could see how you do it," She explained, scratching the back of her head and sounding almost shy - Very uncharacteristic. She couldn't tell him that the reason she had taken up Fuinjutsu is because of her Mother and Father's expertise in the art - Sometimes, while practicing her characters, she could feel closer to them if she just closed her eyes - It was almost like they were there with her, guiding her hand across the paper.

Minato beamed at her happily, "Of course!"

She smiled softly back at him and followed him into the room.

The Yellow Flash pulled a blue containment scroll from the shelf that housed many others. He laid it out onto the ground and slid his thumb against it, channeling the required amount of chakra into his fingertips. He stepped back and a moment later, a desk equip with writing utensils and sealing paper erupted from a cloud of smoke. Minato took the seat at the desk and expertly picked out the paper necessary. He set it out straight and cleanly pulled a brush from an ink pot next to him, not a drop of the ebony liquid falling anywhere.

Naruto watched, transfixed, as her Father's hand eloquently glided across the paper. Unlike her characters that tended to flare out in certain strokes, his were always precise and clean - no smudging or the like.

It was about fifteen minutes before Minato spoke, voicing his curiosity, "Naru-chan, what were you like when you were younger?" He asked her - In all honesty, although he was making chakra concealing seals that were significantly stronger than usual, he didn't need much concentration. It felt like second nature to make seals now.

Naruto hummed in thought, "I was loud, stubborn and prone to outbursts," She told him matter-of-factly without a hint of regret, "I had no confidence in myself back then and ended up overcompensating to make others believe I did,"

"Is that so?" Minato uttered with an amused laugh, "Sounds like your Mother," He told her.

She gave a sincere smile, "I'm glad," She told him with quiet mirth, "Sometimes, I did stupid, reckless things but it all helped me find my ninja way in the end. I don't regret anything of that time," She mused, still watching his hand.

With a silent gulp, Minato asked the question that had been weighing on his mind, "What was your childhood like?" He asked with a tightness to his voice.

Naruto noticed it and softly placed her hand on his shoulder as if to say he didn't need to feel guilty, "It was hard," She said honestly, "The Villagers hated me - I didn't know why until I was twelve years old. For the longest time, I only had two precious people - the Old Man and Iruka-sensei. It took me three tries to finish the Academy graduation exam," She paused with a laugh, "I got put into a genin team with a girl who couldn't stand me and a boy who was hellbent on getting revenge. They became my best friends," She finished with a softer tone.

"I'm sorry, Naru-chan," Minato said quietly, "I made you go through something so hard all by yourself,"

"I told you already, didn't I?" She said with a happy tone, "I had a good life. I was able to live because you and Mum gave your lives to protect me. I became strong because you believed in me enough to seal Kurama inside me," She assured him - Though she'd be lying if some of her doubt didn't still exist. If she was honest, she'd say she still held a hint of anger from that time but the rest was the truth, "You helped me more than you'll ever know," She beamed.

Minato gave a soft smile down at the paper; she had grown up to be a wonderful girl, even without him or Kushina there to guide her. He gripped the brush's handle slightly tighter and was determined to make it better this time. There was no way she'd feel alone again, "Thank you, Naru-chan," He told her quietly, sincerely.

She gave a nod that he couldn't see but she knew he would understand her response regardless. She was the daughter of the Yellow Flash and the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero, and she was a shinobi - Problems in childhood weren't going to stop her. Shinobi are those who endure, after all.

* * *

It was late by the time they actually got to the Training Ground - It had to be at least ten. Naruto resolved that she would immediately start with her more powerful techniques to persuade Minato quickly - They both had to be up early for the mission, after all.

Minato bit the tip of his thumb and swiped the blood across all four seals that he arranged in a square - The size of the barrier wasn't very large since he hadn't had much time to make them, so they needed to be close together to have the effectiveness to keep the powerful chakra from leaking out. Before activating them, he stepped inside the barrier. Two, parallel fingers shot up in line with his nose and, with a burst of chakra, the barrier came to life around them. "It's set," Minato affirmed.

Naruto gave her Father a thumbs up and grinned, "Hope you're ready, Dad, 'ttebayo!" She exclaimed with confidence.

Minato gave a small smile and winked, "Of course I am! I'm your Father, after all," He returned with a similar sentiment.

"Let's show Dad something awesome, Kurama!" Naruto roared. Without any further warning, her body was covered in flames - no, rather, it _looked_ as though she was the flames. Completely unabated by the fact that she was living fire, she allowed a cloak of nine arms of similar substance to burst forth from her back.

 **I'm not here to help you perform parlor tricks, brat.**

 _You still helped me though. In an instant._ She thought teasingly. _Anyway, at least we know we can use it!_

Kurama grumbled and decided to ignore her, as much as he could while he was feeding a minuscule amount of his chakra to the girl.

She looked at her Father with a charming smile, "So?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Minato was taken aback, which was a hard feat to accomplish for anyone. What could he say to that? Good work? That was impressive? There wasn't praise high enough for this sort of achievement. Just how powerful was his Daughter? "Naru-chan, that.." He sputtered. His blue eyes studied the flames, that sent off pleasant and lively chakra (not what he had expected from the Kyuubi's chakra), her pale-orange eyes with black cross-like symbols in them and the strangely-familiar circle drawn on her clothed abdomen, "That's... amazing," He finally allowed out, the smallest sense of wonder in his voice.

Naruto brought her chakra-tinted finger up to scratch her cheek and her now-orange eyes looked away nervously, "It's not _that_ great," She drawled shyly, "I used it all the time before. Maybe a bit too much, dattebayo!" She let out a laugh - Her bashful demeanor looked a bit odd on a person who might actually be considered a demigod by looks (and perhaps, reincarnation lineage) but at the same time, it fit her better than anyone. Perhaps this was because the form was uniquely hers or perhaps it was because Kurama didn't plan on allowing anyone else to take such a form for some time yet. Usually, she didn't think the form was anything impressive since it was just something she pulled out instantaneously when she needed to but hearing her Father say that made her swell with pride. She was half-tempted to tell him that he once took a similar form but she wasn't sure how to phrase it - 'You know, once, when Orochimaru resurrected you without permission and you had half of Kurama sealed inside you, you looked kinda like this except with different hair and stuff and you only had half so it wasn't exactly the same and you're a man but that's not what I'm trying to say here. The point is that I wanted to tell you that you looked like this once... so it isn't that amazing?' - Yeah, she didn't know either. She noted sensing something in the village with a small smile. _Or someone._

Minato was regarded as a sensory type due to his acute tracking senses using chakra but he actually couldn't pick up chakra strength or signature within someone's body like the Hyuuga Clan could with Byakugan - However, even he could feel the immense chakra coming off in waves from his Daughter. He sweat dropped, thinking he had actually helped give life to a God or something. There were three distinctive chakras resonating from the small figure and more subtle ones at work in the background, though they seemed almost agitated - He worried (due to not expecting this much power) that the chakra would actually seep out from the barrier. "Naru-chan, your Sage Mode feels incredibly powerful," He remarked in amazement, singling out the distinct chakra that felt... otherworldly.

"Ah, well!" She said loudly as if realizing something (Perhaps that not everyone carried Sage of Six Paths chakra within them?), "It's a special version - Limited edition, 'ttebayo," She laughed, mirth dancing in her blue orbs. When she received a confused head tilt from her Father, she elaborated: "So, you know the Sage of Six Paths, right?" She asked him.

He nodded. Of course he did. Anyone one who learned Sage Mode from the Toads of Mount Myoboku (and sometimes, it was just general knowledge) knew of the Sage of Six Paths who was supposed to be the creator of Ninjutsu (or Ninshu, as he insisted). He didn't know if he liked or disliked where this was going but decided he'd have to ask his Daughter about her adventures sometime or other because if it linked back to the Rikudo Senin then surely, she had some stories to tell.

And boy, did she. She rubbed her chin pensively as if she had a beard before nodding, obviously sorting her thoughts before voicing them: "Okay, well!" She asserted, "I met the Six Paths Super Gramps in this dark place and he held out his palm, like so," She demonstrated the gesture by holding up her arm parallel to her body, palm facing Minato, "I pressed my hand to it and he was like, 'I'll give you some of my power', so I said alright then. Then I said goodbye to the Old Man and I punched Madara but he blocked it but it was a great punch, Dad, I'm tellin' ya!" She bellowed proudly, a smug happiness on her face.

Alright, so. His brain tried to process the information, it really did and while it understood the basis of the language falling out of his Daughter's mouth, the information was a bit too out there - There was a difference between open-minded and plain gullible. He began manually sorting through the facts. So first of all, the Sage Mode exhibiting the strange and powerful chakra was a gift from the Sage of Six Paths, Creator of the Shinobi World and very much a God-like figure (and if he had heard correctly, his Daughter had just called that pivotal figure 'Six Paths Super Gramps'), himself and after receiving this intense power, Naruto immediately went out to punch someone named Madara. Now that was all well and good (for now) but the only Madara he knew was Madara _Uchiha_ as in co-founder of Konohagakure, who lived through the Warring States Era and was supposedly close friends with the First Hokage, _Hashirama Senju_. With an incredulous and almost joking voice, Minato uttered: "Madara Uchiha?"

Naruto's blue eyes visibly brightened with recognition, "You know that old man?" She frowned, "He's really a pain in the ass, Dad." She informed him before nodding, "Yeah, that's the one I punched," She finally answered nonchalantly, looking as if punching a legendary shinobi who was said to be close to par with Hashirama, noted as a God of Shinobi, was completely normal and everyday.

Minato's mouth wasn't gaping but it was pretty damn close to falling right off its hinges and risking him looking like Orochimaru shedding his body. He didn't even bother to correct her language, something he's sure her Mother would've thought of before anything else. But right now, Minato's head was filled with geezers who didn't die when they were supposed to and bijuu and the Sage of Six Paths and Naruto's immense power and what did this mean for him? What does he do when his daughter fought Madara Uchiha and lived? Was he even of any use to her anymore?

Naruto watched with mild amusement at the subtle array of emotions showing on her Father's face - Usually, she wouldn't notice but her senses in this form were heightened roughly one hundred or so times - She wasn't completely sure but it was pretty cool regardless. She allowed Kurama's chakra to retreat into her and turned off her Sage Mode, "So, think I can handle watching over your team?" She asked with the slightest, _slightest_ teasing tone.

Minato was in serious mode again, "It's impressive, Naru-chan but we both know you can't use Kyuubi chakra outside of this barrier and we have no idea who will be able to pick up on that unusual Sage chakra you use," He told her, "Even if you are the Hokage as an adult, you are just a child right now - What basic skills can you use?"

A mischievous grin found its way onto Naruto's face, "Rasengan," She uttered simply, watching for his reaction.

Minato's eyes widened only the slightest bit, "Who taught you the Rasengan?" He asked finally. Sure, he had attempted to teach his Daughter the Rasengan himself once upon a time - After all, he wanted his only child to continue his legacy and for him to be able to protect her always, even if it was through her own power. However, at that time, his Daughter wasn't interested in ninja arts or the like and she was deeply committed to reading history scrolls instead - She said that she would rather record war than fight in it. He had been a tad let down but he didn't dislike her or hold her decision against her - It was her life, after all. In the end, everyone chose their own path.

"Pervy Sage," She told him with a fond smile but there was a flicker of sadness in her eyes that Minato caught and knew the reason for.

Internally, Minato saddened, knowing the fate of his beloved sensei - Before this moment, he might have entertained thoughts that Jiraiya was an invincible shinobi, that things of the earthly plane simply couldn't touch or break him but any misconception he had about Jiraiya's mortality were gone. He gave her a reassuring smile, "So we shared a teacher?" He said with an upward inflection.

She nodded with a happy smile, "He was the greatest sensei ever!" She almost preached.

Minato agreed, nodding.

The two sat in a quietly-sorrowful and partly-mourning silence for some time before Naruto broke the silence. "Don't worry, Dad," She said softly, "I won't let Pervy Sage die this time," She continued resolutely. She silently added that, if in some strange, cruel twist of fate he did die, she wouldn't mouth off and blame those who hurt just as much as her, if not more. She wouldn't blame anyone else because it wasn't their fault - The one at fault was the person who created the cycle of hatred that Naruto worked tirelessly to end in her own time. She didn't mind starting again if it meant she could save her precious people.

Minato met her eyes and in them he saw regret, guilt, sorrow, loneliness - He saw eyes of someone who had seen War and had fought battles not easily won but her mere existence was testament to her strength and she continued to breath evenly even as these emotions penetrated her very core because that was who she was and Minato appreciated that as a Father, as a Shinobi and as another human being. He let a small smile trace his lips, "I know you'll help him, Naru-chan," He ruffled her hair, "And if you find that you can't do it alone, your dear ol' Dad is here to help you anytime!" He said brightly.

Naruto laughed happily and enjoyed the familial touch, "Thanks, Dad!" Then she grinned up at him with a mischief gleam that he hoped was his imagination. "Hey, Dad. Wanna see something cool?" She asked with a conspiracy brewing in her voice.

"There's more?" He asked, half-joking, half-serious but all afraid.

"Sure is, 'ttebayo!" She raised her arm in the air and her fingers twirled to grasp something invisible. In an instant, there was wind with the strength of a helicopter's rotor blades within the barrier. She felt the familiar and invigorating feeling of holding the Rasenshuriken, "To be honest, I haven't used this in a while," She explained casually, "So much paperwork, so little time. I hardly have any time to train and there's really no fighting going on right now, so I'm pretty rusty these days,"

 **Brat, aren't you just showing off now?**

Naruto eloquently ignored the Fox's completely accurate observation. She looked at her Father with a grin, "Whaddya think?" She asked excitedly.

"Naru-chan, is that... a change in chakra form **_and_** chakra nature?" He uttered in wonder. He could clearly see the nucleus of the attack was comprised of his Rasengan but she had managed to rotate and twist her chakra into a shuriken-like formation - This was something that not even Minato himself had ever been able to do. He had worked three years on the Rasengan, developing it, and had never been able to take it to the next stage which is why he still deemed it an incomplete jutsu, though it was still easily A-rank and few were left standing after being hit by it.

She nodded quickly and dispersed the Rasenshuriken with a small gust of wind, knowing she couldn't let it lose in the barrier - It was far too small an area even if she could control its direction now and the barrier wasn't intended to keep anything in or out except for chakra and sight, so someone would see a giant, wind-nature shuriken ripple into existence out of nowhere, prompting them to investigate. She waited with bated breath for his reaction - she wanted, more than anything, to be acknowledged by him. Minato was her Father, the Yondaime Hokage, her Hero and, possibly most important of all, the progenitor of the Rasengan which had become her signature jutsu somewhere between her Genin and Hokage days.

Minato stood back for awhile. He was far too impressed to say anything at that moment - Others might expect him to be jealous or envy the fact that she was able to complete it but somehow, he was happy. His Daughter had taken it upon herself to complete a jutsu her Father had died before being able to - She had, without hint or word from him, taken it upon herself to preserve his legacy and carried with her a part of him that could always protect her. He smiled softly, a happy gleam in his blue orbs, "I'm so proud of you," He merely uttered, saying what he was thinking.

Naruto looked at him with wide eyes and refused to cry tears of sentimentality _again._ Her Father had been making her cry tears of joy far too often and that simply wouldn't do - She was Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, the Nanadaime Hokage, Saviour of the World; no one would let her live it down if she cried this much in such a high frequency over a short period. _Especially not the teme,_ she added in her thoughts.

Minato let out a deep chuckle as he noticed the trembling of her lower lip and ruffled her hair again, "Shall we go home?" He asked her kindly, already taking apart the barrier.

She nodded with a rare show of docility and followed him towards their home, still unable to talk.

"One day, I'll have you tell me about your adventures," He told her as they walked. He held out his hand and when he received a look that clearly conveyed 'I told you how old I am', he smiled again, "Isn't it okay since you look so young?" He asked.

Naruto looked skeptical before putting her hand in his, a fond smile on her lips. She realized, not without rue, that her Father had offered his hand not because he wanted to preserve this short span of childhood for himself but for Naruto. So it was for him and not for herself that she decided to accept the invitation - That's her story and she's sticking to it.

* * *

 _Knock! Knock!_

Naruto groaned in her sleep, mentally sending a few uncouth obscenities at the offending party. Kurama whole-heartedly agreed with the sentiment.

Minato was already out of his bed on high alert. The man was naturally a light sleeper - Something that Kushina often hated as she could not make many movements before he was up and alarmed and his head was whipping around, probing the air for danger with his chakra. He got out of bed, holding a kunai (because, let's be honest, you can never be too careful) and inched towards the door.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

The sound became more violent and Minato could tell whoever was on the other side was in the mind to kick the door down. Before Minato could open the door and maybe, sort of, perhaps stab the person on the other side, a familiar voice rang out: "Open the door already! How long do I have to knock?!" The voice yelled.

Minato discarded the kunai and cautiously opened the door, knowing what the woman on the other side was capable of. He opened it completely, despite his slight fear, and smiled sheepishly at his visitor: "Tsunade-san. How are you?" He asked with a lack of what to say - He couldn't very well say 'Do you know what time it is?' in a rude fashion because she'd send him flying into the wall faster than his hiraishin.

She had a sharp look to her honey-brown eyes as she stared at him or rather, past him, "Where's Naruto?" She quickly asked without returning his greeting or making any effort to be polite.

Shizune, the black-haired woman behind her, looked disapprovingly at Tsunade and then apologetic towards Minato, "I'm so sorry, Minato-san. Lady Tsunade is in a hurry right now," Her soft voice appeased.

With a slight sharpness to his own eyes, Minato looked at Tsunade who no longer spared him even a glance, "Why do you need Naruto?" He asked wearily.

Before Tsunade could answer, Naruto came walking out, bed-hair and pajamas on display without shame. She yawned and blinked, looking at Tsunade, "Baa-chan, keep it down," She grumbled indignantly.

"N-Naru-chan," Minato sputtered, worrying for his daughter's life. In one quick motion, Minato turned back and bowed to Tsunade, "Forgive her, Tsunade-san! She just woke up, you see... She doesn't know what she's saying," He said nervously, the words practically falling from his mouth.

" _Baa-chan_?" She repeated incredulously - She didn't know of anyone who _dared_ to call her anything akin to that. And why was she already Baa-chan? She was only fourty-four! That was barely 'Baa-chan' territory. Her feet stomped as she walked towards her prey, small cracks appearing in the wooden floorboards, "What did you say, _gaki?_ " She ground out through clenched teeth, hands on her hips, standing over the girl.

Contrary to what Minato and Shizune, who was looking in horror at the scenario, thought, Naruto was completely aware. Sure, she was tired but the moment she heard her beloved Baa-chan's voice, she forgot any notion of going back to sleep. She beamed up at her, "I said keep it down, Baa-chan. I need to sleep," She told her flatly. In truth, Naruto had already sensed her chakra while she was in Sage Mode - She knew Tsunade had just entered the village and was most likely interrogating everyone in the vicinity about where Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki lived. And she knew why, too. Her blue eyes fell knowingly on the chakra crystal hanging from her neck.

Tsunade roared and her eyes narrowed as the girl deftly dodged one of her punches, which she, of course, toned down to suit the girl's age - Although, many found, her toned down punches were just a little bit less like being hit by a truck than usual. "How dare you speak to me like that?" The busty woman growled at the girl.

Naruto tilted her head in genuine curiosity, "Hey, Baa-chan. Are you hiding your age yet or is that the real you? If so, you look pretty good for a Baa-chan," She appraised, nodding with her fingers lightly clasping her chin. She realized she probably shouldn't be speaking as if she had read Tsunade's character biography but she couldn't help it - Tsunade was the first person she saw that looked exactly like the version she knew. Besides, being overtly-familiar had helped the woman warm up to her before and, she hoped, it would most likely work again.

Everyone in the room could feel her temper and killing intent flaring, "Gaki," She growled again from her throat, unused to people, especially little brats like this one, being immune to her intimidation tactics. Besides, how did she know about the transformation technique? Really, only the Third, and the other Sannin should know about it - So how did this little girl know?

Naruto gave her a blank stare, "I guess that means you are hiding it," She concluded. Her eyes were slightly sad as they took in the seal on her forehead - It was powerful, true, but it would bring suffering on Tsunade as well - Every time the Sannin used it, it would shorten her lifespan by depleting her chakra.

Tsunade wound up another punch.

Minato was ready to stand in the way to keep his Daughter from dying.

Shizune was still horror-stricken - Tonton was sleeping.

Naruto held up the necklace between a thin finger and her thumb, "This is what you're looking for, right, Baa-chan?" She inquired with feigned curiosity.

A mixture of relief and bewilderment seized Tsunade's pretty features as her eyebrows scrunched up. She looked down at the younger blonde with narrowed eyes, "How did you know that?" she asked with suspicion in her voice.

Naruto didn't even have to think about the answer: "Who doesn't know about the necklace worth three gold mines and the mountains they sit in that is carried by Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin?" She asked as if Tsunade was a fool.

Tsunade was taken aback at the tone of the young girl - She couldn't even be twelve yet but she was holding her own against the intimidating, only female member of the three legendary Sannin. _Who is she?_ Tsunade thought wearily, eyeing the girl with a scrutinizing gaze, "How long have you had it?" She finally asked.

Naruto decided that, in fact, the gaze was not nearly as unnerving or thorough as her Father's and she could easily survive being looked at in such a way. "It's been four days," She answered straight-forwardly, meeting the woman's eyes without hesitation, "I'm still alive, so it's fine," she joked, watching her former Hokage's expressions closely.

There was a look of shock on Tsunade's face before she composed herself, as Naruto had seen her do many times over the course of her career, "You know about the curse?" She asked quietly.

Naruto merely nodded. She was sure that seeing her able to withstand this 'curse', which supposedly killed the wearer after only a day if they weren't Tsunade herself, Tsunade would lose faith in the curse and the older blonde would begin to allow her wounds and guilt over Dan and Nawaki's deaths to heal over time. At this rate, she would spend the next 18 or so years wallowing in her pain - Sure, she still had more vices than Naruto could count on one hand in her time but she wasn't so much of a depressed drunk as she was an 'I-have-too-much-paperwork-to-do' drunk and that was the kind of drunk Naruto understood all too well after a mere year in office. Well, she would, if she _could_ get drunk.

"Where did you get it?" Tsunade interrogated, eyes narrowing - Obviously, she wasn't interested in hearing anything but the truth. She wanted a who, where, what, why and how recount from Naruto and she wasn't going to give in until she had one.

Naruto hummed pensively, trying to piece together a valid excuse: "I was walking past a gambling parlor on the eastern side of the Village and a man got thrown out for trying to use this as collateral," She began explaining, piecing together a story with what she knows about the woman's habits from her time, "... He kept saying it was worth three gold mines and the mountains and you know but they were saying something about a curse and getting hysterical. The man was so disgruntled he forgot it and I just walked past and picked it up," She finished matter-of-factly, making a quick swooping motion with her arm to demonstrate.

It was Tsunade's turn to attempt to analyze the young girl. The last time they met, the girl couldn't have been older than four years old, so how did she know so much and why was she so familiar? "Look, Gaki," The blonde finally sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Just give me the necklace back," Suddenly, the urgency wasn't there. She wondered if it was because this brat, this little girl, had managed to survive wearing the dreaded 'Necklace of Death' for _four days_ and even Tsunade had to admit, she was impressed. She held out her hand expectantly but received no response.

Minato and Shizune stood at the side, just observing.

Minato would intervene if he felt it would get dangerous but he knew that Lady Tsunade was a good friend of Kushina's and, despite her absence, was devotedly loyal to the Leaf Village - Her condition was a well-kept secret among the higher-ups and as a Hokage candidate, he had such privileges. He was sure that, if the others knew, she would be called a disgrace or a joke because Shinobi weren't all that kind to those who broke away from tradition or the mold that had long since been created - He assumed it was just much better to be seen as a wandering drunk with a gambling problem (who happened to hold a renowned title given by Hanzo the Salamander himself) than a Shinobi, warriors long-since known as tools of slaughter, who was afraid of blood - A medical-nin, at that.

"I can't give it back to you," Naruto told her calmly, a small smile forming on her lips. "This is the First Hokage's necklace, so I can't give it to you," Her smile only got bigger as she began molding her mouth around the words she hadn't said in a long time but felt so _right_ as of this moment and this time and this body and this age: "Because I'm going to be Hokage, dattebayo!" Her smile was now a full, beaming, teeth-bearing smile as she gave an enthusiastic thumbs up.

As expected, Tsunade just scoffed. "Hokage?" She bit out harshly, "Kid, only fools want to become Hokage. What is there to being Hokage? All you can do is live in this village and die in this village. Only fools rush to their deaths," Her tone was bitter, she clenched fists by her side - The pain was still fresh, the anger still so clear in her eyes - There was no stifling the flames of indignation that sparked there. Dan hadn't died long ago - How long had it been? Not long enough. His death had pushed her over the edge and now being Hokage was like a curse. Because those who dreamed of being Hokage in her presence would all surely die an early death. "Give up on that dream and live a long life, Gaki," She told her, struggling to keep her tone even.

Instead of becoming enraged like the first time, Naruto just watched her for a moment with passive, blue eyes. "If being Hokage and wanting to protect the village that I love means being a fool, then fine, I'm a fool. I'm the biggest fool you'll ever meet, Baa-chan," She said seriously, hoping to shake the woman of her irrational correlation. Naruto sent a sneaky glance to Minato and thought of the Third, "You're right," She said honestly, "Hokages live and die in the village. The reason is that they live and die doing the same thing; protecting the village. Whether it is just one of the billions of breaths taken in as they live or if it is their last, the Hokage stands by the Village. If that makes you a fool, then everyone should just become a fool,"

Minato nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face. He hadn't been offended when Tsunade had called those who desired to be Hokage fools because frankly, he knew her reasons - She had lost those she held most dear all because they were chasing a dream that seemed impossible. But Minato appreciated his Daughter's words nonetheless - Somehow, they made his heart lighter and his resolve steadier; he would become Hokage and he would protect the Village and that's all there was to it.

Shizune's eyes widened. She had never seen anyone stand up to her Master before, let alone a small girl. What was even more of a surprise was how accurate those words were - It was not a coincidence that the Hokage died in the Village; it was their choice. Because, if they weren't battling in the village, then what were they fighting for? Not peace or liberty but simply fighting - Simply put, that was not the place of a Hokage, no matter how some might view the position.

Tsunade was taken aback by those words. No one had ever stated it like that. No one had ever explained to her why people covet it so highly and what it meant to them but now, she thought that maybe, she could come to understand. When she looked at Naruto, she found herself seeing Nawaki's smiling face and Dan's spirit burning brightly in her cerulean eyes. She didn't reply, just continued to stare, burning the girl's determination into her heart, endearing herself to this girl she had only met once as a toddler. She thought that Naruto, however disrespectful, had something magical.

Naruto smiled widely at her, "I can keep the necklace, right, Baa-chan?" She asked happily, holding the thin string keeping it from falling from her neck in between her finger and thumb again.

Tsunade blinked and looked at her. Trying to show a semblance of her usual self, she frowned: "Next time you call me Baa-chan, I'm gonna throw you off a roof, Gaki," She said simply - She couldn't bring herself to snarl or to add malice into her voice because plainly, she didn't mind. She doubted the girl would stop if she did. If it was anyone else, she might lash out and kill them in a fit of rage but she couldn't bring herself to do it, so she didn't. She turned her back on the girl, green haori jacket swishing behind her.

"See ya later, Baa-chan!" Naruto called, emphasizing the title and half-expecting a chair to be thrown at her head. It didn't come. She smiled, "Thanks for the necklace, dattebayo!" She called after the Sannin's retreating back.

Tsunade's voice was soft and barely above a whisper but all three occupants of the room heard it: "Just don't die, Gaki," She ordered, looping around the corner and leaving.

Shizune bowed and quickly ran after Lady Tsunade, careful not to anger the woman. She gave a curious glance to Naruto and a small, grateful smile - No one had ever elicited that sort of reaction from the usually-gruff Tsunade since Dan died. No one had dared to go against the hard shell the woman hid herself in but Shizune could see small cracks showing up in her Master's impenetrable defense. She was glad that they had come to visit Naruto Namikaze.

* * *

It was the day of the mission when a panicked knock sounded. Minato was getting ready for the mission, so it was Naruto who opened it. "What?" She asked, slightly on edge - Today was the day where she would rid Kakashi-sensei of all his future regrets and save the lives of his two closest friends. Friends that she had become fond of, too. She was already dressed in her jumpsuit and had her hair pulled into a high ponytail by then.

Dark eyes blinked back at her, panicked. It was Obito. Shouldn't he have his supplies for the mission? "Naruto-chan, it's Kushina-nee-chan!" He frantically told her, "Her team captain was carrying her through the Village and she was injured - She looked really bad, Naru- Hey, Naruto-chan, where are you going? Hey!" He called to her.

Minato looked sadly at the ground as he heard the news. He wanted to rush to his Wife's side but he didn't have that luxury. He supposed he'd have to trust Naruto to take care of her because he had a duty to fulfill. He grimaced as he tightened his Jounin flak jacket - He really had chosen duty over family, hadn't he? He walked to Obito who was still panicking by the door, "Obito, don't worry about Kushina," His voice commanded, leaving no room for retort, "We have a mission. Let's go," He began walking out of the house, followed by Obito.

"But... Sensei. What about Kushina-nee-chan? She didn't look so good!" He asked uneasily, uncharacteristically timid. He recalled her pale complexion and limp, dull hair, unlike her usual fiery-red tresses.

"Obito, I'm sure I don't have to remind you," His tone was scathing - It hurt him to have to leave his Wife like this but he had a duty to his Village first and foremost. He loved Kushina but... He was a Shinobi. "Focus on the mission," He finally finished, his footsteps showing resolved purpose. _Kushina will understand._ He thought to himself, "Kushina will be fine," He said, reassuring himself more than Obito.

"Hai, Sensei..." Obito uttered, looking down at the ground. He felt absolutely helpless but all he could do was hope Naruto could help her Mother.

* * *

Kushina lay on a Hospital bed in the Emergency Response Ward of Konoha's Hospital. Naruto took in the sight of her Mother in horror - Her skin was pale and, as she found when she ran her hand across Kushina's arm, cold to the touch. Her usually-bright, beautiful hair was matted down to her head like dead seaweed. There was noticeable strain displaying under her eyes in the form of bags - She was exhausted. What had happened on her mission?

The Nurse had informed Naruto had her Mother had a sudden onset of chakra exhaustion but her team reports that she didn't partake in the fight at all due to having passed out at the beginning. They hadn't done anything strenuous beside the travel but had been keeping an easy pace. She had a feeling what it might be and gulped, eyes shooting to her Mother's abdomen nervously.

"Mum," Naruto called softly, not wanting to do anything that might worsen her condition. She placed her hand on her Mother's shoulder and gave her a light shake, "Hey, wake up," She quietly pleaded.

Her Mother's eyelids reluctantly retreated from their place over her eyes and dull, violet _excuses_ for Kushina's eyes greeted Naruto. A gentle smile made its way onto Kushina's drained features, "Naru, don't look so worried," She joked, "I won't die," She told her with quiet confidence, despite her raspy voice.

Naruto took her Mother's hand in hers, to which she received a squeeze: "What happeend?" She asked, although she knew what the problem was - But was she right about the cause?

Kushina just shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. She slowly patted the space next to her on the bed, "Your hand is so warm," She said with a weak smile, "Lay down with me for a bit," She requested.

Naruto took off her shinobi sandals, effectively forgetting about the Academy altogether - It could wait another day or two. She slid next to her Mother and her Mother's slender arms encircled her in an embrace. She squirmed slightly but soon found herself relaxing, desperate to give Kushina's skin the warmth it needed to return to life.

Kushina rolled onto her side to hold Naruto closer, smiling and kissing her Daughter on the crown of her hair. "So warm," She mumbled, cuddling into her. "It's like you're protecting me,"

Naruto's eyes scrunched up in anguish. Her Mother was so cold and so pale and looked so _sick._ Without warning, her body burst into gentle flames that didn't spread to anything she didn't permit. _Kurama! Why am I in Chakra Mode?_

 **I don't know.** He replied honestly. **Something is pulling it out on its own.**

 _What do you mean pulling it out?_

 **I mean what I said, brat - something wants your chakra and it's making it manifest - My chakra believes you're calling for it and I can't cut it off.**

Naruto inwardly cursed. _Could it be to do with Mum?_

 **That could be the case. I've taken the place of the Kurama in this time and therefore, hers would have just disappeared. It may be that the seal is searching for its missing prisoner.  
**

Her Mother held her tighter, enjoying the warm chakra on her. She found Naru's hand placed firmly over her eyes when she tried to open them, "Naru?" She asked, voice uncompromisingly soft.

"Don't open your eyes," She said, almost desperate, "Go to sleep. I'll stay here with you," She promised, not daring to move her hand. She said that but she couldn't stay - She had to help Team Minato before they died. But who knows what would happen if she left her Mother to her own devices?

Kushina seemed content and mumbled about how warm Naruto was. "Somehow I feel... alot better when you're close to me..." She remarked affectionately, stroking Naruto's blonde tresses lightly.

 _Is it possible that you could be taken in by the seal?_

 **Impossible.** Kurama assured her before continuing: **Seals weaken with age - Your Mother's seal has been active for almost 20 years now without regular maintenance. Yours is designed to be the best - My Yin half was even sealed by the Old Man himself. There's no way.**

 _Why is she saying she feels better then?  
_

 **It could be due to the proximity of your chakra, the seal believes that the balance has been returned and is adjusting to her new chakra levels, believing that I am still sealed inside your Mother.**

Her eyes widened as the memories from her clone entered her mind - The disturbance in her chakra had somehow overwritten her shadow clone jutsu - She now had no way to help Kakashi from here. I _can't stay here._ She thought to him urgently. _I **have** to help Kakashi-sensei. _She cast a helpless look at her Mother who was very much clinging to her purported 'warmth' which was actually chakra.

 **Stay calm, kit.** His voice softened. **As** **much as I dislike that _woman,_ you're at your most annoying when you're gloomy. ****Remember when you shared my chakra with your comrades?  
**

Naruto channeled an inward nod to him at his words.

 **Do the same for her and move yourself away. If she doesn't show signs of relapse, you can most likely leave.**

Naruto reluctantly placed her hand in her Mother's, which Kushina found incredibly pleasant. She squeezed the older woman's hand and closed her eyes, allowing Kurama's chakra to change to suit Kushina's individual signature. It took longer than usual - She wasn't sure whether it was because she hadn't done it in about six years or because Uzumaki chakra was alot stronger and therefore, harder to assimilate to. Either way, she didn't care as long as it worked in the end. Her Mother showed visible relief as the red chakra cloak enveloped her - The problem was, if someone were to come in and see it, they would think she was being taken over by the Kyuubi. She tried to cover it with a blanket but to no avail. She slowly weened her Mother off of Kurama's pure chakra and allowed her seal to take in small amounts of the cloak.

"Naru," Kushina groaned. Her face was starting to regain color and Naruto could see that Kurama's idea had worked. She sent a silent thank you to the fox for that. "Don't go," The beautiful red-head whined, searching for that warmth - She felt considerably better thanks to the cloak but it couldn't contest the pure, gentle chakra resonating from Naruto herself.

Naruto was able to remove Kurama's Chakra Mode from her body and smiled, smoothing Kushina's hair from her sweaty forehead. "Sorry, Mum. I have something to do," She whispered gently, "I'll protect you so you can sleep without worries," She promised - This promise was genuine and Naruto had no intention of ever breaking it. Whoever attacked her precious people better be ready to have Hell rain down on them. She turned determined eyes towards a nearby forest and jumped from the window, from roof to roof until she found the outer-wall and leaped off of that, too.

 **If you rely only on this body, you won't make it in time. If you don't use the hybrid form, you won't make it, kit.**

 _I know! I know that. But I can't do that. They'll sense the chakra from a mile away.  
_

 **Kit, I'll try my hardest to limit the amount of chakra I emit. It isn't a guaranteed method to keep others from tailing you but it's all I can manage.  
**

 _... Alright._ She finally conceded. _But I'm not using hybrid, just your chakra will do.  
_

The Fox grumbled his agreement and consciously limited the amount of chakra, which Naruto's body had instinctively done itself before this moment, ensuring that she had the speed and endurance she needed with minimal risk of being tracked. However, when dealing with Bijuu chakra (even the rare, pure type that only comes from synchronization), it is nearly impossible to wipe out all traces.

Her speed increased exponentially as the Chakra Cloak's flames flickered and fragments tore themselves away from the main body, leaving them behind her to dissipate into the air. She could easily sense the hatred coming from the Iwagakure shinobi to the East. She eagerly followed the foul scent they left.

As an afterthought, she created a henge to hide her identity - It was more of a precaution for Kakashi, Obito and Rin than the Iwa-nins - She used her form from when she was 25. Her hair reached her waist, almost pin-straight save the small curves at the ends, her childish blue eyes were sharper, resembling Minato's more and more as the years went on, she was atleast fourty centimeters taller. She pictured that one time she had dressed up like Kakashi for fun to make use of the mask in her henge, though she ditched the headband to hide her affiliation.

She didn't want to but if the kids were still around, she'd probably have to fight using her Chakra Cloak as to not show any features that would give her away - Such as her striking eye or hair color that looked _just_ like the soon-to-be Yondaime and his diminutive daughter. No one would link a 180 centimeter tall woman covered in flames with a short, pre-pubescent girl from Konoha who had skipped her first day of the Academy. _I'm kind of like a superhero, right?_

 **I thought you were taking this seriously, brat. My mistake.**

 _Oh, right..._ She thought ruefully. _Sorry 'bout that._

 **Hmph. I care not if those _children_ live or die. **

_Man, you're cold! You know that?  
_

 **I'm well aware.  
**

 _Sh! You're distracting me!  
_

 **You initiated conversation with me!  
**

 _Shut the hell up, furball! If those kids get hurt, I'll put you back in the sewer!  
_

The Fox quieted. That was more like it.

* * *

"Are you alright, Kakashi... Rin?" A soft, wavering voice called. The two in question turned to find a boy who shouldn't be worried about their safety at all - The right side of his body was wedged under a heavy boulder that wouldn't budge no matter how much Kakashi pushed. "... It's okay, Kakashi. I don't think I'll... make it," He soothed, not showing any regret or malice in his voice. He had given his life to protect his friends, that was something he could be proud of, if nothing else. His body was numb, the right side of his body was crushed - He didn't know if there was any hope in this situation.

"Damnit!" Kakashi growled, pounding at the rock with both fists. Why did this have to happen? How could this happen? They were still so young. Obito was just a Chuunin. Kakashi was nine years old and already, he was losing a friend.

Rin watched in horror as Obito coughed up blood, "Obito!" Her sweet, kind voice yelled, tears brimming in her brown eyes. He didn't want her to look like that. He wanted her to smile always - He loved her so much.

Over and over again, Kakashi's fist pounded at the ground, his knees touching the hard rock of the cave floor, "Damnit!" He repeated angrily, the guilt falling heavily on his shoulders. "If only I.. had listened to you and we had come to save Rin sooner! This wouldn't have happened!" He lamented, "So what if I'm a jounin? So what if I'm Captain?!" He ground out between sobs.

"Oh yeah, I forgot..." Obito trailed off, his hand twitching, "I was the only one who.. didn't give you a gift, Kakashi," His whole body was now twitching - He supposed it was just a side-effect of dying and accepted it as it was. "I thought about what to give you..."

Rin and Kakashi watched with sorrowful eyes as Obito tried his hardest to get his, possibly, last words off his chest.

"I was thinking..." He began slowly, "Don't worry - It won't be something useless," He assured Kakashi, "I'm giving you... my Sharingan," He finally finished, opening his eye wide, as if an invitiation.

Kakashi eyes widened and he had no words. What could he say in this situation? A simple thank you certainly wasn't enough. Obito wanted to give him his _eye_ for christ sake, the Uchiha's precious kekkei genkai, the Sharingan.

"Whatever the village may say," Obito said with a smile, despite the obvious trails of blood falling over his chin, "You are a great jounin. That's how I... really feel," he assured Kakashi. It seemed as though, in his last moments, he was the one doing the most comforting out of any of them.

Obito instructed Rin to use her Medical Ninjutsu to transplant his eye to Kakashi, who had previously lost his own. He assured them it would be fine and Rin took his hand in hers, hoping to ease his journey into the afterlife.

"I'll become your eye... and see the future for you," Kakashi vowed, frame trembling with yet unshed tears. His eyes spoke of determination in the next instant and anyone could see he was dead serious. He climbed out of the hole and opened his left eye, revealing the intimidating Sharingan, greatly in contrast with his grey eye on the right - His eyes screamed murder as he stared at the Iwagakure shinobi.

"Kakashi, take care of Rin..." Obito uttered with his eyes closed, ready to accept death.

Before Kakashi had a chance to answer, a blur of flaming orange came zooming past him and into the hole created by Kakashi. A smooth, feminine voice yelled, "Take care of her yourself!" And she had to bite down to stop herself from saying 'dattebayo!' at the end because she wasn't Naruto Namikaze right now, she was Naruto Uzumaki, Nanadaime Hokage. Two of her nine chakra arms grabbed Rin and Kakashi while another two lifted up the boulder with very little effort. She gently scooped Obito up into her own arms and there was a grim expression on her face as she inspected him, "I'm sorry I'm late," She whispered to him, placing her ear against his chest to check for a heartbeat - It was faint but it was there, even if he was unconscious and half-crushed.

Rin squirmed, "What do you want with Obito?!" She demanded, tears falling from her eyes ceaselessly. Her tiny fists pounded at the chakra arms but to no avail, if they were strong enough to lift that boulder, they were strong to restrain a 13 year old medic-nin with little to no combat experience.

Kakashi, on the other hand, was convinced that some sort of Goddess had come down to save them. Despite his usually-cautious nature (sometimes, excessively so), he found himself easily trusting the woman to do right by Obito. He hoped upon hope that maybe, just maybe, she could save Obito from his unfortunate fate. His gloved hand came up to touch the Sharingan - He would much prefer seeing the future _with_ Obito, rather than _for_ him.

Naruto took slow, deliberate steps, keeping Obito close to her to avoid rattling as much as possible. She clenched her teeth in anger, "Are you the one picking on little kids?" She asked with an edge to her voice.

Hearing this, Rin visibly calmed - Still unsure about the orange chakra arms, she had to admit the feeling soothed her. The woman was also holding Obito with such care like a small child - There was a certain fondness or affection in the way she held him so close to her chest.

The man, with shaggy brown hair and mean eyes, stumbled back and fell on his ass, "What the hell are you?!" He asked, looking at her nine chakra arms.

Naruto's eyes became pointed and there was clear, not hatred, but anger in them. "I don't owe you any answers," She told him coolly, as she was wont to do during a battle - She didn't know why but at a certain time, she had started to become a different person when fighting - Sakura remarked that she looked completely in control and collected. The teme had told her she looked a little less like a dobe. Her foot came up and collided hard with the man's jaw, sending him flying. "Only one kick?" She asked curiously as she noticed the man was unconscious (possibly dead) before setting both Kakashi and Rin down. "I'll carry this one to the outskirts of your village. You two go and find help," She told them in a commanding tone of voice.

With one last glance at Obito, the two jumped towards Konohagakure, assured that they could trust the woman with their best friend.

Naruto had never missed the ability to heal severe wounds with Yin-Yang release more. She cringed at the blood falling from his eye - This was going to be a tough handicap for Obito to overcome, especially as an Uchiha where visual prowess meant a lot - It pretty much valued a clan member's life unless they were an all-around genius like Itachi or Sasuke. "Forgive me for taking so long to get here," She said ruefully before jumping off towards the village, deactivating her Kurama Chakra Mode and carrying him in her normal form, hoping no one from the village would see her.

 **~Chapter End~**

* * *

 **Ending Note:** _Woo, finally did the Kannabi Bridge mission ;o Bet you were expecting Naruto to save Obito before he lost his eye, hm? Well no, I remember being a little girl and thinking Kakashi of the Sharingan was the coolest thing ever, so I just can't help myself. I have an idea to do with them anyway. Sorry for taking so long to update :c I did try to make it longer though.  
_


	8. After the Fact

_About separating the Kannabi Bridge mission into another chapter: I considered making it a big thing but then I didn't want the whole development value for Kakashi to be lost so I didn't want Naru to just carry them through their srs mission - Plus, those Iwagakure shinobi in Kakashi Gaiden were fodder, at best. I couldn't really give you Naru losing all restraints because they plainly weren't worth it; there was also only one nin at that point (You know, reinforcements are en route and he uses that earth style jutsu to collapse the cave? So yeh. It is a war, so there will be opportunities to see her doing her very best ;)_

* * *

Kakashi adjusted his hitai-ate for the umpteenth time that same day; it had become somewhat of a habit since Obito's near-death - Not too soon after returning, the medical-nin who examined him explained that as someone who wasn't originally meant to wield the Sharingan, an Uchiha, he couldn't deactivate it. The chakra strain was immense to someone who wasn't used to passively and steadily putting out chakra so covering it was the best option.

He sighed, his pen meeting paper. He had wanted to see Obito after his operation but he knew all too well who Obito would want to see out of the two of them and that was Rin. In one of his rare moments of kindness, he had taken it upon himself to write the mission report and assured Rin that it would all be fine. So, here he was, writing a report for a mission that Obito had almost died on, trying to stifle the heavy emotions that came with every character he penned out. _  
_

Initially, he had been prepared to write that, in fact, they weren't able to complete the mission - The mission that was crucial to Konohagakure's success in the Third Shinobi War - By destroying Kannabi Bridge, they were effectively blocking Iwagakure's path to Kusagakure and greatly diminishing their military strength. He had wanted to avoid being like his Father. However, a scouting party sent out to scout the surroundings reported back that the bridge was very much destroyed. It wasn't Kakashi nor Rin who had destroyed the bridge - It was a mystery how it happened. Well, Kakashi had a hunch. He often trusted his hunches.

Still, the failure had memories of that day rushing back to him faster than he could ever hope to handle. Ever since that day, the day he came home to find his dear, beloved Father sprawled out on the floor, cold; dead, he had vowed not to be like him. Not to be a _fool_ who put the lives of others above the prosperity of the village.

But he had done just that. His hand roughly tugged at a waning strand of silver; he almost wanted to laugh, it was so funny. No matter how hard he tried to stick to the shinobi rules, follow them to a T, the blood of his foolish Father still ran through his veins and it was truly maddening and perhaps, just a little bit hilarious in a twisted sense. Oh, how Kakashi wondered what his dear old Dad felt looking down at him now - Was he proud? Proud that he'd made a son who would follow a similar path to an early grave? He sure hoped so - One of them should get a kick out of it.

He'd been lucky this time. That woman, _that beautiful Goddess made of flames,_ had saved Kakashi, had saved Obito but what about next time? When the goings get tough, would he turn tail and cut his losses just like today? Surely, he couldn't expect her to be there every time. To always pick up the slack. Oh but Kakashi couldn't stop thinking about that woman.

She was so beautiful, so vibrant, so _effervescent._ She was like no one he'd ever met before but somehow, she felt so familiar. In the dark depths that was his turmoil, his tortured soul, she had been like a beacon of hope, shining so brightly and shirking off all opposition. She was a light in the dark. She illuminated his path.

Ah but it wasn't like Kakashi to be so reverent. He was only nine years old, yet he was so proud. So mature. Everyone looked at him with eyes that spoke of admiration, though it barely concealed that spark of amusement at his expense - That's right, his Father _was_ that man who caused heavy losses to the Land of Fire simply because he had a heart. Because, as hard as he tried, he was still human and he still cared. That was his downfall and now, it seemed, it would be Kakashi's too.

Because Obito, that idiot, had wormed his ideals into Kakashi's head and they refused to burrow out; they had made themselves a home. Those who break the rules are trash but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. And he'd said something else.

And Kakashi hadn't wanted to listen. He shook his head because those words were lies but his ears perked up so willingly as if waiting for a moment where someone's, _anyone's,_ lips would mold around those words and take away this resentment that he loathed to acknowledge. Those simple words, that childish voice, had saved him from his hatred.

 _"I believe the White Fang was a true hero,"_

And somehow, Kakashi believed him. Deep down, he thought, maybe, he always wanted to believe those words but no one had been there to concur, to confirm the idea that yes, Sakumo Hatake was someone to be proud of. And maybe, Obito Uchiha wasn't someone to be hated or scorned, either. Because the two were so very much alike that it both hurt and soothed to be near.

His nose caught a familiar scent. His eyes looked up more eager than he ever thought possible. Why? Because that beautiful woman who had captivated him held the faintest scent of-

"Hey, Kakashi!" A voice bellowed from below the branch he was sitting on.

-vanilla.

His eyes looked down, "What do you want?" He drawled, his visible eye betraying none of his earlier brooding. He hid the disappointment that threatened to flicker.

She wasn't the woman. She was just that short, good-for-nothing (except maybe chakra control) he'd met at training. She was just that girl lucky enough to be the daughter of his sensei. He wasn't interested in her in the least.

She beamed up at him, "I was walking past and I saw you sitting here looking all gloomy," She joked, using her hand as a visor to block the sun.

She _shouldn't_ have that scent, not Naruto Namikaze - She wasn't who he wanted to see when he looked up. He wanted to see _that woman._ "Go away," He said rudely, attention returning to the mission report.

She didn't seem bothered. "Can I come up there?" She asked, ignoring his hostility.

"No," He answered simply because obviously, the girl couldn't take a hint. Not that he hadn't been overtly-blunt from the start.

"Too bad," She told him, "I'm already coming up," Her feet effortlessly exerted chakra as she walked up the tree with practiced ease, slow and steady, as if Kakashi was a cat she had to rescue from a tree. She plopped down next to him on the sturdy limb of the tree with a huff but didn't say a word, simply waiting for him to speak.

Kakashi didn't look at her, afraid that the smallest glance would make her assume he actually wanted her there. He still couldn't bring his hand to move; the fingers holding the pen were rigid. He didn't want to write the report. He didn't want to write that Obito had almost died pushing him out of the way and a stranger had to help them complete their mission. He wanted to write that everything went fine; he wanted to write that no one was hurt and the mission was successful. More than anything, he didn't want to change - He wanted to be the Kakashi he'd always been because he hated change more than anything; he was so set in his ways.

"I start at the Academy soon," She informed him, so used to telling Kakashi-sensei any and all developments happening in her life - Big or small, the man always seemed interested, in his own disinterested sort of way.

His voice was rough, "What does that have to do with me?" He didn't want to talk right now. He just wanted to finish the report and visit Obito. He didn't want this eye anymore - He wanted to give it back.

There were so many things he wanted.

"Try not to feel so bad," Naruto suddenly voiced from beside him. She made to raise her hand - most likely in an attempt to comfort the young Jounin with light contact - but had quickly stifled that urge and just gave a small smile at nowhere in particular.

Now, Kakashi was angry. He remembered a time where being angry was so out of character for him that it was laughable - These days, it felt like second nature. There was always something around him to be angry at - If it wasn't Obito, then it was the girls who fawned over him. And frankly, Naruto was starting to look like one such girl, "What do you know?" He ground out, right eye still set on the paper, glaring holes through the flimsy material. "You don't know what it's like," He finished, pen threatening to break in his grip.

Naruto hummed in thought and gave him a wide smile, probably infuriating the boy but it was the best way she knew to comfort someone, "I suppose you're right," Though he was the furthest thing from right, "But you can't control everything," She soothed in a gentle voice.

Met with such a flat response, no hint of sadness or recoil at his anger, the rage somewhat dissipated. He adjusted himself so that there was no way even a tiny amount of her smile could be seen in his side view. If he ignored her, she would go away.

She didn't. She just sat there, cross-legged and staring at the clearing beneath. She thought it was a rather peaceful place - Slow breeze, long grass; frail flowers. The scenery wasn't bad at all. She didn't mind sitting there for awhile if she could help her beloved sensei.

His nose twitched with every inhale of vanilla. It was maddening but Naruto had the perfect hint of vanilla in her scent; the very same amount that had trailed behind that woman. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine her warm chakra right next to him. "Just leave," He almost growled at her, so sick of that smell taunting him.

"Nope!" Naruto happily chimed, "I'm staying right here until you cheer up, 'ttebayo!" She crossed her arms as if to demonstrate how stubborn she could really be.

Kakashi scoffed - Surely, this girl didn't think she could outlast him, of all people. He had sat hours in silence during missions countless times, just watching. There was no chance she could beat him - In comparison to him, who had grown up during a war with no parents, her seemingly-idyllic upbringing was a joke.

A small, mischievous grin founds its way onto her features, "So, Kakashi," She drawled innocently, "Can I see your face?" She asked nonchalantly, sending him a curious glance.

"No," He said simply with clear finality in his voice. She was just _so_ irritating.

She leaned towards him, big blue eyes focused on him: "Please," She pleaded.

"No," He repeated, shifting away from her slightly.

"C'mon!" She exclaimed, "I'm sure it's not that bad," She assured him jokingly: "What's wrong? Is it really gross? Do you have a rash?" She questioned rapidly with a teasing tone.

He shot her a glare.

It had no effect whatsoever. She leaned closer, "I won't judge you, even if you have a rash," She told him resolutely, "Even if it's the ugliest face I've ever seen, I won't tell you. I'll tell you it's _really_ handsome, so just let me see,"

"Get away from me," He told her with exasperation but not quite anger. Why wasn't he getting angry? Usually, he would be scowling and saying rude things to any girl who got this close. Maybe it was because she resembled Minato-sensei so much. He decided not to dwell on it.

She gave him a bright smile and reached a delicate hand towards his face, hoping to hook her index finger at the rim and pull it down - So maybe she had begun this endeavor to help distract her Sensei from his thoughts but now this was her chance! She could finally see the elusive face of _the_ Kakashi Hatake.

He smacked her hand away, "Don't touch others without their permission," He glowered.

The fact that he wasn't yelling or growling wasn't lost on Naruto and she smiled happily, returning to her former position without qualm, "Are you writing a mission report?"

"None of your business," He told her, though it was painfully obvious that he was.

She glanced at the paper and shrugged, "When you write the report, you should start by listing the team members and their conditions," She told him, basing it off how she liked to receive her mission reports - There actually wasn't one set way to do it. Usually, the Jounin-sensei put in charge would pass their own style down to their students but during her time as Hokage, she found she liked it done a certain way. "After that, write a short summary of events and elaborate later on - It saves time for the Hokage," She continued absently. As an afterthought, she added: "Don't forget to number the pages,"

Kakashi looked at her incredulously. She had just told him minutes earlier that she hadn't even started the Academy - which was bad in its own right at her age - and now _she_ was telling _him_ how to write mission reports? Just... who does this girl think she is? "Mind your own business," He enunciated slowly, following up from his earlier point that the mission report was none of her business.

Naruto watched with amusement as he actually started writing down the names of his team members and their conditions next to them but said nothing. She noticed the slight tremor as he penned out the kanji for Obito's name, "Obito will be fine," She told him suddenly. She let out a sigh, "Grandma Tsunade is the best medic-nin out there - She'll find a way, so don't worry," She tried to comfort him. Though, honestly, she knew nothing about this Kakashi-sensei - He wasn't laid-back and reserved like her Sensei. He was brooding and scarred like Sasuke but dutiful as well - She could tell, no matter how many hardships he'd suffered, his loyalty to the Leaf never wavered (unlike a certain duck-butt she knew).

Kakashi's shoulders relaxed a little - He hadn't known that the Legendary Sannin was the one treating Obito; it was a load off his shoulder, though he'd heard she retired from the profession to pursue a life of vices, "I didn't ask," He grumbled, continuing to write. His writing became neater and his wrist flowed more easily, however and he couldn't deny he was relieved. Not that he'd admit it to anyone, least of all Naruto Namikaze.

Naruto smiled gently, that familiar spark of fondness alight in her blue orbs. This time, she didn't stop herself and raised her hand - It fell on his head and ruffled his silver hair - It was soft, unexpectedly so; she had thought it would be coarse or rigid due to its strange anti-gravity properties but was pleasantly surprised.

"W-What are you doing?" Kakashi slightly stuttered, unused to someone taking such liberties, "Don't touch me," He said without a hint of anger and only the _slightest_ amount of embarrassment.

She beamed at him and laughed playfully, "Sorry, sorry," She said, insincere, "I was just glad you look a bit happier now," She explained before hopping down from the branch and falling onto the ground with a thud, "Keep up the good work, dattebayo!" She called to him as she ran away.

Kakashi grumbled about annoying girls and Sensei deserving a better daughter and not wanting to run into her again as his pen continued to race across the page - He looked much akin to an author who had finally found the perfect muse for inspiration and now wrote in a frenzy. His heart felt lighter knowing that Tsunade herself was taking care of Obito - Now all that was left was to finish this mission report and go see how the idiot's going. Not that he'd tell him he was worried or anything - That's what Rin was for.

* * *

Tsunade sighed as she watched the Uchiha boy being hauled down the hall on a hospital bed. She'd ensured that he got his own room for recovery, although that was a rare privilege these days - The war wasn't at full swing right now but more and more injured were coming into the Hospital, staring death in the face, so sharing a room with one or two other people was becoming somewhat mandatory.

In all honesty, Tsunade was quite disappointed in herself. When Naruto, that brat, had stormed into her motel room and _demanded_ that she treat a kid who got crushed by a boulder, she found that she really couldn't say no and that was worrying in and of itself but when she arrived in the operating room, there was blood and, as was expected, she froze - Somehow, she found her composure but had to make Shizune perform the actual surgery while Tsunade looked over the medical research provided by the Nara Clan.

She was impressed with the Nara Clan, as always - They were so thorough and extensive when it came to different herbs for medical use. She had focused primarily on those with bone and muscle regrowth properties - All in all, the Uchiha boy will find he has to ingest a lot of herbal medicines when he wakes up; they won't taste good either. The surgery did well to replace his bones and halt the internal bleeding in his right lung and kidney - Obviously, there was nothing they could do about his missing eye - but some bones had been chipped, resting themselves inside countless muscle cavities and the medics put in charge of them had to extract the pieces. There was no way for them to know which piece fit where and frankly, they couldn't keep cutting open a 13-year-old boy if their aim was for him to survive. Really, the only hope was for the boy to regrow his bones and the damaged muscle surrounding them.

Most surprisingly, the boy's right eye was still in perfect condition - Tsunade had been quite amused hearing a nurse cry out in surprise after checking his eye and finding his Sharingan still active. Even Uchihas couldn't usually keep it up when they fell unconscious, especially not under that level of injury. Somehow, she felt like the boy would be just fine, though she couldn't save him from the scarring - It wasn't anything too disgusting; she'd seen worse - Naruto had informed her that he was an unwavering nice guy, so she was sure it'd work out for him.

She briskly walked towards a small figure slumped over in a waiting room chair, not attempting to quiet the click of her heels, and shook the girl awake, "Oi, the operation's over - Wake up," She said in her usual gruff voice. The girl, Rin, had been sitting there for over twelve hours and even the medics who were on duty when Obito's operation started had long since gone home.

Rin rose her head in a drowsy daze and blinked a few times. She looked up at Tsunade, who she admired as a medic-nin herself, "Where's Obito?" She asked instantly without further thought, "Is he okay?"

Tsunade gave a sound nod but otherwise, didn't attempt to school her features into a kinder expression. "He's recovering in Room 178 down the hall. Don't make too much noise and don't wake him up," She lectured before stepping back, expecting the girl to run right past her towards the room.

Instead, Rin stood and bowed deeply, "Thank you very much for helping Obito!" She bellowed sincerely. After seeing Tsunade nod in acknowledgement, she ran down the hall at full speed towards the room.

Tsunade stood there, scratching her head and let out a yawn. She was damn tired. She'd made the first batch of the medicine and left the list of ingredients with the staff, so she should be fine to go home, drink some sake and sleep - She deserved it.

"Baa-chan!" A high-pitched voice sounded from the entrance to the Hospital.

The older blonde's fist collided with Naruto's head, "What, gaki?" She drawled with sharp eyes.

"Ow," Naruto mumbled, nursing the bump forming on her head. "I just wanted to know how Obito was - You didn't have to hit me, Baa-chan,"

Tsunade resisted hitting her again and simply sighed - Lately, she'd just gotten used to being called 'Baa-chan' by the kid (although she didn't deserve the title when she was only forty-four), "The operation is finished. It all depends on how well he recovers from hereon," She briefed evenly.

"Hm, that's great to hear," Naruto nodded agreeably, "Thanks for taking my unreasonable request, Baa-chan,"

The busty woman's eyes narrowed into slits filled with suspicion, "What's with you being polite, gaki?" She inquired.

The blonde girl sputtered, "I'm always polite," She insisted, winding the handle of the plastic bag she was holding tighter around her hand.

Tsunade's gaze flickered to it, "That boy can't eat yet," She informed her, "Half of his mouth probably won't even work for awhile,"

Naruto's eyes followed hers to the bag in her hand and she scratched the back of her head, smiling sheepishly, "Actually, this is for Mum," She corrected, "I know she likes ramen so I asked Teuchi to make a take-out box for her," She continued.

"Alright then," The medic-nin accepted, "I did as you asked and kept the nurses out of her room," Her honey-brown eyes met blue, "Why did you ask me to do that?"

Naruto's gaze didn't show any hint of unsteadiness or guilt, "I wanted her to be able to sleep in peace," She intoned.

"What if she needed medical attention?" The older raised her eyebrow - Was the girl truly eleven?

"That's why I asked you to watch her," The younger returned.

"You knew I would be helping with an operation for hours," Tsunade debated.

Naruto shrugged and smiled, "My Mother is strong," She said matter-of-factly.

Tsunade nodded - That was true. Even if the Hospital was abandoned, Kushina would most likely be fine with a bit of rest and some hearty food. "I'll leave it to you then, gaki," She finally gave up, her heels clicking as she walked away, "Tell your Mother she should discipline her kid better," She said as she left.

"Will do, 'ttebayo!" Naruto bellowed back. She took quiet steps through the hall, moving towards the room on the second floor her Mother was in. Her blue eyes flickered to the side where she saw Obito lying in the bed, covered in bandages. Rin had fallen asleep again, her face and arms resting on the edge of the bed. Naruto offered a small smile, slowly closed the door to the room and kept moving, resolving to visit the next day.

She began thinking about what Kakashi-sensei would do next - Would he give the eye back? It would make sense and this time was very different from the first time - The donor of his eye was actually alive and without a left eye but she didn't particularly want Kakashi-sensei to be without an eye - She may be showing favoritism here, though. _What do you think, Kurama?_

 **I think you should have let those brats die.  
**

 _Someone's in a bad mood._ She teased. _Come on, be serious._

 **What they decide to do is their business, brat. Didn't your sensei tell you to mind your own business?**

 _Yeah but when have I actually ever done that?  
_

 **A sound point.  
**

 _I always make sound points.  
_

 **I beg to differ.  
**

 _Why do you always try to start fights with me?_

 **Entertainment.**

 _Hmm. I guess it would get boring in there. Should I find you a nice lady-fox to keep you company?  
_

 **There isn't a fox you could find that would be a suitable mate for someone as great as I.**

 _Who said anything about a mate? Pervert.  
_

 **You dare to call me a pervert? A truly insolent brat.  
**

 _Yeah, yeah. Take a joke, would ya?  
_

 **I didn't find it particularly funny.  
**

 _Well, I did.  
_

 **That matters least of all.  
**

 _Whatever. I'm almost at Mum's room so keep it down, idiot.  
_

 **Insolent brat.  
**

Naruto gently opened the door, careful not to surprise her Mother. "Mum?" She called, peeking her head through the door. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw her Mother still asleep - Compared to her state before, she looked amazing. Naruto walked up to the side of the bed and sat in the nearby chair. She gingerly shook Kushina awake, "Mum, wake up," She whispered as reinforcement for her efforts, making the chakra cloak dissipate as she did so.

"Mmm," Kushina sounded as her eyes slowly opened, the violet color of her eyes had returned and her complexion was lively again, thanks to the Kyuubi chakra. "Naru, you're back," She smiled softly.

Naruto nodded. She pulled up the plastic bag and took out the take-out box, "I got you some ramen from Ichiraku. It's salt flavored," The blonde tempted, returning the smile, "Sit up so you can eat," She told her before adjusting the bed to support the red-head's new position.

"Thank you, Naru," Kushina's voice was still soft from having just woken up. She pulled the nearby table, which only had a support on one side to allow it to hold food over a bed, and watched as Naruto put the salt ramen in front of her, "You didn't get yourself any?" She asked worriedly, feeling slightly guilty to be eating in front of her.

"I already had some at the shop," Naruto lied, "It was delicious as always," She beamed, passing her Mother the chop sticks. "Have you eaten anything today?"

Kushina shook her head with a light laugh, "I was asleep the entire day," She said with a little embarrassment. "Where's your Father?" She asked a little sterner, swirling the ramen around her chopsticks.

Naruto stifled a sigh of relief - She wouldn't have to explain why there was Kyuubi's red chakra enveloping her. "He went on a mission this morning," Naruto informed her, "He should be back later tonight or tomorrow,"

"That Minato," Kushina sighed, "Didn't even come to visit his own wife before he left," She pouted lightly.

Naruto let out a soft laugh seeing the noodles hanging out of her mouth, "I'll give him an earful for you when he gets home and tell him to come here right away," She assured.

Kushina relaxed a bit more into the bed, "That's okay," She drawled, slurping up more noodles before continuing, "It's his job, after all," She said understandingly. "Since you're here, it's one hundred times better, dattebane!" The beautiful red-head joked.

"Of course, 'ttebayo!" Naruto returned with a hundred-watt smile.

"'ttebayo?" Kushina asked with a certain sense of dread.

"Oh yeah," Naruto began, looking anywhere else but at Kushina - She had been with her Father (who had full knowledge of her circumstances) so much that she'd become careless and let her verbal tick slip out, "I guess I picked it up from you,"

The red-head frowned, "That's the one thing I didn't want you to get from me," She lamented, "You got everything else from your Father but all I gave you was that,"

"That's not true!" Naruto comforted. She lightly prodded her face, "I've been told I have your face," It still counted if Kushina was the one who said that.

"Hmm, really?" Kushina asked with narrowed eyes, inspecting her Daughter's face, "I guess that's true, dattebane!" She brightened, patting Naru on the back. Hard.

"That hurts!" Naruto sobbed, awkwardly bending her arms to rub the painful area, "You're too strong,"

"Ah, sorry, Naru," Kushina frowned, scratching the back of her head, "I guess I don't know my own strength," She joked.

Naruto crossed her arms and fell back into the chair with a huff, "Just eat your ramen," She grumbled.

"Are you mad?" Kushina said with a slightly teasing tone.

"I'm not mad," The blonde girl sighed, "Eat your ramen,"

"Alright, dattebane!" She began slurping up the noodles again, though their temperature was considerably lower than before, "Once I'm finished, can I go home?" She inquired.

"No idea," Naruto returned truthfully, "I'll go ask," She offered as she stood up, flattening out her clothing. She walked to the reception, "Excuse me, is it possible for Kushina Uzumaki to be discharged now?" She asked politely, offering a smile.

The woman clicked away on her computer - It was pretty old-school; the bulky design really made Naruto think about the difference in time from when there was a thin laptop sitting on her Hokage desk, "Kushina Uzumaki..." She hummed as she browsed their files, "I'm sorry, we can't discharge Uzumaki-san until tomorrow morning,"

"I see," Naruto said pensively, "Why is that?"

"Can I ask your relation to the patient first?" The woman said, her brown orbs shifting.

"I'm her daughter," The blonde Jinchuuriki returned, feeling something amiss.

The receptionist hummed for a bit, inspecting Naruto - The girl didn't resemble the beautiful red-head too closely but the woman knew Kushina was married to Minato and she had always suspected the man had strong genes, "Alright," She sighed, "The truth is some of our sensory types noticed powerful chakra coming from her room and they want to run some tests," She came a bit closer, "I'm not supposed to tell you so keep it to yourself," She whispered conspiratorially.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly in panic, "What kind of powerful chakra?" She questioned fervently. She had set up the spare chakra concealing seals her Father made around her Mother's bed, so there shouldn't have been any way that they could find out about the chakra cloak if they didn't see it. What was going on?

The black-haired woman looked hapless and wasn't sure if she should say anything - For all she knew, Kushina and Minato hadn't disclosed her Mother's status as a Jinchuuriki, "It was just strong, sweetie, nothing to worry about," She soothed.

The blonde girl's hands balled into fists at her side but otherwise, she didn't show any sign of displeasure, "Does my Mother know about these tests?" She asked tensely.

The receptionist marveled at how mature the girl seemed and shook her head, "Lady Tsunade, of the Legendary Sannin, made sure no one could get into the room but family," She explained nervously, suddenly beset with fear from the look in the girl's eyes, "We haven't had the chance to tell her," She finally added.

Naruto sighed and offered another, albeit reluctant, smile to put the woman at ease, "Thank you very much. I'll tell her myself," She said curtly before turning on her heel and walking away.

"Ah, wait!" The woman called, "It's our job to tell her," She said when the girl stopped in her tracks.

Naruto didn't look back, a little angry that they wanted to perform _tests_ on her Mother like some sort of specimen, "I will tell her," She insisted, leaving no room for argument before returning to the room.

Kushina looked up from the magazine Tsunade was nice enough to give her with a smile as she saw the door open, "Naru, what did they say?" She questioned happily, looking expectantly at the door.

Naruto schooled her features into a smile as she peeked her head in, "Sorry, Mum - They said you have to stay until morning," The blonde girl slowly made her way to her seat, inspecting the ground where she'd left the seals. First one, check. Second one, check. Third one- The third one was gone. She subtly looked at where she had planted the fourth and it was still there, too.

"What are you up to, Naru?" Kushina asked with curiosity, watching her Daughter move around.

"I thought I saw a bug," She had become a bit better at lying lately - She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing but frankly, it was the least of her worries right now. She let out a laugh, "Guess I was wrong or it got away," She continued. Her blue eyes trailed to where the seal had been - There wasn't any of it left so it couldn't be that a particularly strong wind ripped it and made it ineffective - Someone had taken it.

Kushina's stare became firmer, "Naru, what's wrong?" She queried - Her maternal instincts were going crazy right now and she didn't know exactly why.

Naruto met her eyes with a shaky smile, "Nothing. Nothing's wrong," She said, scratching the back of her head. Who had taken the seal? Why would they? How'd they get into the room? Her eyes roamed over to the open window. How incompetent were the people in this Hospital? She sighed quietly and went back to her seat, deciding those were questions for another time, "The receptionist said they want to run some tests on you," She blurted out honestly.

"Tests?" Kushina asked, "What kind of tests?"

Naruto shrugged, leaning back on her chair and letting out a sharp exhale, "They said they sensed some strong chakra in here and wanted to run some tests on you. Do you know what that's about?" She inquired with an easy tone that suggested she didn't need to answer if she didn't want to.

The red-head shook her head and smiled, "No idea," She mumbled, looking out the window thoughtfully, eyes resting on the quickly-darkening sky. "Maybe you should go home for today, Naru. I know it'll be lonely but your Dad and I will be home soon. I don't want you going back too late," She said after a pregnant pause.

"I'll stay here with you," Naruto insisted. She gave a light laugh, "I know it won't be that comfortable sleeping on the chair but I don't mind, really," She assured her Mother.

Kushina shook her head again and gave Naruto a pat on her blonde crown, "Go home for today, Naru," She said kindly, though there was an insistence there that was hard to ignore. "I'll be back home before you know it," She rummaged through her belongings next to her and pulled out some money, "I won't be there to make you anything, so go to Ichiraku. Actually eat something this time, instead of saying you did just to make me feel better," She chided with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto sweat dropped. _Mothers are frightening._ She thought nervously. She reached out to take the money and found it was one of the few times where she was reluctant to go to Ichiraku. "Are you sure?" She wondered, willing her Mother to change her mind.

"Off ya go - I'm tired, dattebane!" Obviously, Kushina didn't plan to change her mind. She ushered her Daughter out with a wave of her hand.

Naruto's head sagged as she left but she brightened with remembrance a moment later, "I signed up for the Academy," She quickly informed her Mother.

Kushina's eyes brightened happily, "That's my girl, dattebane!" She praised, "Don't give up until the very end," She cheered.

"I got it, dattebayo!" Naruto concurred with a large smile, glad that her Mother's liveliness had returned. She paused at the doorway, "Should I bring you some clothes tomorrow morning?" She asked, small hand poised to push open the door.

Kushina inspected herself and noticed she was still in her Shinobi attire, "That'd be nice," She said, a light blush dusting her cheeks, "You know the green dress with the white shirt underneath?"

Naruto's gave a soft smile and an unreadable emotion flickered in her blue eyes, "I know the one," It was the dress her Mother had worn when they first met in her mind. She left the Hospital slightly disappointed but couldn't stifle her happiness at being treated to ramen.

Kushina looked at the sunset longingly and sighed, "Strong chakra, huh?" She mumbled to herself, eyes turning to her abdomen, "What's this all about?"

* * *

Naruto made her way to Ichiraku and found the fact that she arrived alone a tad saddening. Back in her time, she would always talk to Teuchi when she didn't have a guest or even when she did but this Teuchi ran the shop almost single-handedly and didn't have the time to make small talk with her. She asked him, for the second time that day, if she could get her ramen to go and drudged her way back home.

She almost walked straight into a stumbling drunk and before she could scold him to make sure he didn't recklessly walk into others, she noticed his tall stature, red haori and long white hair, "Pervy Sage?!" She called out in surprise, gaining a few looks from the surrounding foot traffic, though when they saw the man, they shirked it off since they were all used to him being an all-around weird guy.

"Hey, kid, who are you calling Pervy Sage?" He asked in a slurred tone, cheeks flushed from the sake he consumed. He looked back at the _proud_ establishment he had just stumbled out of, "Goodbye, ladies! I'll be sure to come see you again~" He called to them, offering a clumsy wave.

The women let out, obviously-rehearsed, giggles and batted their eyelashes, "Don't forget us, Jiraiya-sama," Their soft voices called.

Naruto gave him a blank look, "What are you doing, Pervy Sage? Aren't you too old to be going to those places?" Then again, he was much older when she traveled with him and he still went to such places even then.

Jiraiya's eyes fell on the young girl and he struck his signature kabuki pose with his hand outstretched, flicking his hair up and back, "I am the hermit of Mount Myoboku, the Wise and Immortal Spirit!" He bellowed theatrically, "That's right! It is I, the Toad Mountain Sage!" Then he grumbled quietly: "... And I'm only forty-four,"

The blonde girl sighed, waiting for him to realize who he was talking to - Surely, he knew what his own god daughter looked like and he was just too damn drunk to notice. On another note, he was already doing that crap at forty-four?! Some people never change, time travel or not. It was sorta making their heart warming reunion less heart warming and more troublesome,"I already know who you are," She offered with a sigh.

"Ah, it's you!" Jiraiya hollered, his eyes seeming to sober a little. _A little._ "I've been lookin' for you, kid," He grumbled.

"Why?" She asked dumbly, blinking at the man. Honestly, she was fighting the urge to jump up and hug the man with all the strength she'd acquired over her years on the battlefield but decided against it because the man's reputation wasn't so good that he could be hugged by an eleven year old girl he had no resemblance to and leave socially-unscathed.

"Well, that's because..." His fingers stroked his chin as his drunken mind pondered what he wanted. What did he want? Something about a scroll? Scroll... Toads... Naruto.. "The scroll!" He finally said after a pregnant pause.

"Pervy Sage, you okay?" She questioned, tipping her head curiously to the side. Her blue eyes inspected the man's face - Just like everyone else, he was pretty young. Well, young compared to the one she knew but not particularly youthful in any other way. The fact that he was alive was more than enough for her.

"What? Yes, perfectly okay- Hey, don't call me Pervy Sage, kid!" He nodded continuously, almost in a rhythm, "Anyway, how are you, kid?" He asked, beginning to walk and expecting her to follow, "Your Dad isn't with ya?"

"I'm fine," She returned, "Dad's on a mission," She continued - It felt like she had said those same words _a lot_ today.

Jiraiya hummed, "It isn't like him to leave you by yourself," He recalled, "I guess he got over all that overprotective stuff, eh?"

Naruto shook her head sadly, "He's still like that," She corrected, "He just couldn't turn down the mission," She sped up her pace slightly, her little legs having trouble keeping up with the tall man - Even as an adult, Naruto believed she still would've had to speed up to keep up. It was a bit sad that she'd never had the chance to confirm that idea.

"What about Kushina?" He said with a slight leer.

 _Dirty old man._ "She's in the hospital," She intoned, sending a sharp glare at his perverted expression.

"Oh, that won't do at all!" the perverted Sannin bellowed, "I should visit her - She may need help bathing or dressing herself..." He said quickly, more to himself than her, with a light blush and drool practically falling out of his mouth.

Naruto sent a deft kick to his shin with the back of her foot, "Whose Mother are you thinking about, you dirty old man?!" She snapped, not truly angry - It was, maybe, a little nostalgic.

" _Dirty?_ " He quoted incredulously, "There's nothing dirty about it! I'm worried about my student's wife and you call me dirty?!" His voice raised comically, his fist raised in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grumbled, hands in her pockets, "Say whatever you like, Pervy Sage,"

He noticed the looks others were giving him. "Sh! Don't call me Pervy Sage!" He began with a slightly hushed voice, before his expression turned pensive, "Where are we goin', kid?" He asked her, looking down at her small, blonde head.

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, "I was following you,"

"Ah, well..." He scratched his cheek, "I'm not really goin' anywhere," He admitted.

"Say that before, 'ttebayo!" She yelled, changing direction and moving towards her home.

"As feisty as your Mother, huh?" He mumbled to himself before following. "Where to now?" He questioned, falling into step next to her.

"I guess we're going to my house," She sighed, "I'm sure Dad won't mind,"

Jiraiya nodded thoughtfully, "I was already planning to stay there anyway,"

"You didn't plan anything else?" She asked, then her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Were you hoping to spend some time with my Mum?"

"Wha? Of course not!" Jiraiya sputtered, his hands up defensively, "I would never!"

"Yeah, okay," She returned quietly, "Why were you looking for me?" She asked curiously as they neared the house.

His face was serious. He didn't answer with words - He bit his thumb to draw blood and expertly performed the seals for a summoning jutsu, slamming his hand down onto the ground, "Summoning Jutsu!" He called. When the smoke cleared, a large toad, Gama, stood there stalwartly - Thankfully, the street was relatively quiet so there was no startled civilians around.

Gama's eyes rolled back to look at the Sage on his head then to Naruto with a look of recognition. His long tongue shot up and wrapped itself around Jiraiya, attempting to pull him into his mouth.

"Don't swallow me, you stupid toad!" Jiraiya struggled, using his geta-clad feet to push off the sides of Gama's mouth, "Stop!" He yelled.

Naruto looked on with a blank look as Gama got a good whack on the nose and let the Toad Sage down. That hadn't happened before.

"Ahem," Jiraiya coughed, smoothing out his clothes and attempting to flick the toad saliva off of his arm and abdomen, "Excuse that, he's been trying to do that for a few days now," He said, clearly embarrassed.

"I see," Naruto uttered simply. Her blue eyes met those of Gama and she offered a small smile.

In response, the toad spat out a familiar scroll and slowly brought it down in front of the small girl, using his tongue like an escalator. A slimy one.

"What's this?" She played along, though rather unconvincingly. She set down and unfurled the scroll with steady hands, noticing her name written on it. She suddenly knew what this was about.

Jiraiya jumped off the toad and landed with a huff. He walked in front of Naruto and grabbed her cheeks, pulling at them, "You know what that is, squirt," Pull. Squish. "It has your name on it, why is that? Why don't ya tell me, huh?"

Naruto felt her eyes going in wayward directions and grumbled something incoherent.

The perverted hermit pulled once more then let the chubby cheeks flop back into place like rubber, "What was that, kid?" He asked, lending her his ear.

"I said, I can't talk if you do that, 'ttebayo!" She yelled in his ear.

He reeled and stuck his pinky finger in his ear, "Ouch, kid - Keep it down,"

"Don't pull on my face!" She snapped in return, rubbing her reddened cheeks.

Jiraiya jumped back onto Gama's head and sat, cross-legged, looking down at her, "Now that you can speak, how about telling me why your name is on that scroll?"

"Uh, well..." She said awkwardly, nervously scratching her cheek with an index finger and sending a conspiring look towards Gama, who held no true answers to her dilemma, "Would you believe me if I said, 'I don't know'?"

"No, I wouldn't," Jiraya's voice suddenly seemed to be booming, though this may just be Naruto's nerves getting to her. "Tell me honestly,"

Naruto pondered for a while - Honestly, the guy seemed like an idiot but he was actually _annoyingly_ wise and deductive. She doubted she could actually fool him - She couldn't even fool her Mother about having eaten ramen, "Well..." She began, looking uncertain. She took a deep breath, "The truth is that..."

~CHAPTER END~

* * *

 _Hm, what did you think of this chapter? I don't know how I feel. I'm glad I got some Kakashi in it and I definitely want to increase their interaction soon._

 _I really enjoyed Kushina and Naruto talking - I don't know why xD It just seemed so nice, like the mood, you know?_

 _Tell me what you thought in a review (unless it's mean because as I said, I will cry - I'm a fragile maiden, okay?) if ya want. :)_


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